MBJ_May23_2014

INSIDE — Richland looks to grow its community spirit INSIDE THIS ISSUE

35 YEARS

1979

www.msbusiness.com

2014

May 23, 2014 • Vol. 36, No. 21 • $1 • 20 pages

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The Mississippi Business Journal’s annual Top 40 Under 40 luncheon is one of the highlights of the state’s business community. This year, nearly 500 business people and their families, friends and coworkers gathered at the Hilton Hotel on County Line Road in Jackson to celebrate the best and brightest young people and leaders of the state. — Magazine inside

Sales Tax {P 16} » Mississippi’s April 2014 numbers Strictly Biz {P 4} » Environmental attorney John Brunini joins Butler Snow’s Ridgeland office

‘Eight’ more than enough Arc Technologies software a paperless solution to human resources nightmares » Page 10

e Sonic Clark Spencer, left, CFO of a larg Cameron d, elan Ridg restaurant franchisee in d pronce erie exp an dle, Arcemont, mid in 2004, gies nolo Tech Arc ed form grammer, all the dles and Rick Brohaugh, right, han . sales and demonstrations

MBJ Focus {P 10-12}

» Technology Lists {P 13} » Internet Service Providers

ess Journal Ross Reily / The Mississippi Busin

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2 I Mississippi Business Journal I May 23 2014 ENTREPRENEURSHIP

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Java and community

‘Proud to call it home’

» Drip Drop Coffee Shop makes splash

» Richland looks to grow community spirit

BY WALLY NORTHWAY I STAFF WRITER wally.northway@msbusiness.com

It appears to be a perfect match — a small city wants to enhance its sense of community, and a couple of local entrepreneur-brothers want to build a business where people come together.

The Drip Drop Coffee Shop held its grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony last week in Richland to a packed house of well-wishers and supporters. The mayor, aldermen and a representative of every major city department were there as well as numerous local community and economic development organizations.

At first glance, it seemed a little much. The Drip Drop menu includes the usual fare — coffee, lattes, expresso, frappes, smoothies. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, it also offers hot breakfast dishes, paninis, wraps, sandwiches, pastries/desserts and beignets (Fridays and Saturdays). All of that is fine, but not unique.

There is also little to note about the cafe's space. Drip Drop occupies a small suite in a neat yet nondescript strip mall located on U.S. Highway 49.

However, it is not the menu nor the ambiance that has created all the buzz in Richland, a small city in Rankin County of approximately 7,000 residents. It is the mission and vision of the Drip Drop's owners, brothers Chris and Darron Hinton, that has the community excited — a small coffee shop that offers not only a place where locals can meet, but also a place where local artists and musicians can find an audience.

"We wanted to create a place where the community can come together — enjoy some coffee or a beignet, watch some news or sports, talk," said Chris Hinton.

"We also wanted to create a place that supported local artists and musicians.

That's why we opened the Drip Drop Coffee Shop."

The Hinton brothers, both raised in the nearby Hinds County community of Byram, also seem a perfect match for the new enterprise. Chris' background is in job creation and business recruitment and growth, most recently serving on the staff of Natchez Inc., the lead economic and community development organization for

BY WALLY NORTHWAY I STAFF WRITER wally.northway@msbusiness.com

WALLY NORTHWAY / MBJ

Chris Hinton (left) addresses a packed house during Drip Drop Coffee Shop’s grand opening while his brother and co-owner, Darron Hinton, looks on beside him.

the city of Natchez and Adams County.

"Chris, to me, is a marketing guru," Darron said.

Darron, conversely, has spent more than a decade in the bar industry.

"Drip Drop is Darron's brainchild," Chris said.

Indeed, the concept came to Darron in the night.

"I had this dream that I was in this neat coffee shop having a great cup of coffee," Darron remembered. "In my dream, I looked out the window and saw a sign that read 'Drip Drop Coffee Shop.' The next day I told Chris we needed to do a search for that name. We were surprised to find that there was not a single Drip Drop Coffee Shop registered in the nation."

With a unique name in hand, the Hintons developed their concept of a coffee shop like no other in the area, one that not only offered live music, but also a place for local artists to display and sell their works, even offer free art classes to patrons.

Their new venture got off to a fanfare-filled start. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony the morning of May 15, a band performed a two-hour set outside the Drip Drop that evening, later joined by a surprise DJ. The band them moved inside and gave an all-acoustic concert for patrons.

Adorning the walls is work by local artist Roger Leonard Long featuring sketches and paintings of musicians such as Elvis Presley, B.B. King and Jimi Hendrix and other prominent figures. The Hintons plan on swapping out the art periodically, giving patrons new pieces to

enjoy and/or buy, and Darron said Drip Drop would start offering art classes beginning next month.

Drip Drop also has landed a house musician, Katie Boyer, but other musicians will be brought in to give customers something new to hear.

"It is the first place in Richland ever, as far as I know, to offer live music and art from local people," said Richland Alderman Clay Burns. He added that Drip Drop further enhances to the city's efforts to create a stronger sense of community in the Richland area.

The Hintons have had little time to revel in their grand opening success. This Saturday, Drip Drop will name the winner of a unique selfie/Instagram competition. Patrons will select the best entries, and the winners will receive free merchandise such as a Drip Drop coffee mug, and t-shirt among other items.

As soon as that competition is over, Drip Drop will kick off a talent contest.

Darron said other communities have approached him and his brother about bring their Drip Drop concept there. He said they would explore these opportunities, but they have no plans yet to open another venue elsewhere.

"Chris and I both just love coffee, and we love creativity," Darron said. "We're excited about what the future holds."

For more on the Drip Drop Coffee Shop, visit www.dripdropcs.com.

(NOTE: Google Maps shows Drip Drop Coffee Shop on Old Highway 49.

The actual address is 1055 U.S. Highway 49, Suite D, Richland, MS 39218.)

There are three faces of the Rankin County city of Richland, two of which are readily visible from U.S. Highway 49.

In the north half of the city, its two industrial parks and the transportation/trucking-related businesses clustered around them are bustling, and the busy retail corridor in the heart of the city attracts not only travelers but customers from surrounding communities, as well.

However, the third face of Richland is not so apparent. Just a few blocks off either side of Highway 49 are the city’s residents, those who not only shop and/or work in the community of approximately 7,000 residents, but also call it home.

Richland officials’ focus now is to grow a sense of community spirit among those residents, and they say so right on the website (www.richlandms.org) with the motto “Proud to Call it Home.”

That is why last week the mayor, aldermen and representatives of practically every major city department were on hand for the grand opening of the Drip Drop Coffee Shop, which offers not only coffee and food, but also a place for the community to gather and support local artists and musicians.

Alderman Clay Burns said Drip Drop adds to the “impression” of Richland — that it is more than just a community strung out along a couple of miles of Highway 49.

Mayor Mark Scarborough agrees, adding that recruiting businesses like Drip Drop is “the key to our success.”

In addition to Drip Drop Coffee Shop, Scarborough, Burns and other leaders have other new developments inside the city that are aimed at serving the Richland’s residents.

For instance, the city is building a new, much larger police station just behind the library on a new road off of Scarbrough Street, the city’s “main street.”

Signs line the new road, advertising new available commercial space. Any busiSee

RICHLAND, Page 9

May 23, 2014

ENERGY

NARUC lawsuit stops collections for Nuclear Waster Fund JACKSON — Thanks to the work of state utility commissions, this year Mississippi ratepayers will have an estimated $3.7 million dollars in their pockets which would otherwise go to the federal government, says Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley.

As a result of a lawsuit brought by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), of which the Mississippi Public Service Commission is a member, Presley says the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) was forced late last week to halt collection of fees added to the bills of nuclear power customers for the Nuclear Waste Fund Brandon Presley (NWF), which was instituted in 1982 to pay for a national storage site for the nation’s civilian nuclear waste.

For decades, NWF money had gone solely to the study, development and construction of a storage site in Yucca Mountain, Nevada. However; in 2010, the DOE unilaterally shuttered the project with no plans to discontinue charging the monthly NWF fee.

Mississippians have paid over $80 million into the NWF, with an additional $3.7 million estimated this year prior to the court order.

“I am proud to have been in this fight against another federal ‘bridge to nowhere,’ paid for through fees tacked onto Mississippi power bills. Any day that we can keep Mississippians’ money in their pockets and not send it to Washington, D.C., is a great day,” Presley said.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued its ruling in November 2013, ordering the DOE to cease collection of the fee until such time as either the DOE resumes development of Yucca Mountain or until Congress modifies the statutory framework and provides for an alternative waste management plan.

The DOE submitted a proposal to comply in Jan. 2014, but continued to collect pending a request for review of the Court’s decision. That request was denied in March.

EDUCATION

Utah company hired to look into Clarksdale school The Mississippi Department of Education has hired Utah-based Caveon Test Security to investigate cheating allegations at Heidelberg School in the Clarksdale Municipal School District.

Caveon Test Security is a full-service test security organization that has national experience and expertise in the industry.

“I want this investigation to be conducted in an efficient, orderly, and systematic manner,” said Dr. Carey Wright, state superintendent of education.

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Mississippi Business Journal

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FROM THE GROUND UP

Technology and healthcare — here’s three perspectives

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Phil Hardwick

echnology is so ubiquitous that this columnist had a difficult time narrowing down which of its segments to write about. Whether making a purchase at a store, building a car on the manufacturing floor or making a reservation for the vacation by the shore a day does no go by that a person is using technology of some kind. Which part to concentrate on?The answer appeared while at the doctor’s office for a routine checkup.

Technology, always a big part of medicine and medical research, is now beginning to impact the way physicians and their patients communicate with each other and is offering new ways for those patients to take charge of their own health care. To illustrate the topic, three close acquaintances told their stories about how each is using technology to manage their health care in ways that are new and different from the past. Names and certain identifying characteristics were changed for privacy and literary purposes.

Jason is employed by a large organization with thousands of employees and multiple divisions across many locations. His insurance is provided at no cost by his employer. Concerned about a possible skin cancer issue he sought to make an appointment with the only dermatologist listed on the website of his company’s insurance provider list, but was told that no new patients were being taken unless it was an emergency. He emailed the insurance company at the “contact us” section of the website, and received an instant reply that his email had been received and that his case was being referred to someone in the insurance company. After a couple of weeks with no further response he called the company’s 800-number and was able to get approval to make an appointment with a dermatologist whose application as a provider was about to be approved.

He went to the dermatologist, who was now on the approved provider list, for an annual examination. After being examined and having two

suspicious skin lesions frozen with liquid nitrogen, he was advised to have a follow-up minor procedure to clear up a condition on his face. He had spent 16 minutes total time in the patient room, including the wait, the examination and the procedure. On the way out of the clinic he made an appoint for the follow-up procedure.

Back at home, he received an email from the doctor’s office that linked to a personalized website that allowed him to access his personal medical history, make appointments, communicate with his doctor, view his account, etc. A few days later he received a bill from the above doctor visit in the amount of just over $600, but there were adjustments of over $400 and a payment by his insurance company of just over $100, leaving him the balance to pay. He then accessed the website and sent an email asking about the adjustments and asking what the cost would be for the follow-up procedure. He did not receive a reply to his questions about the cost, so he canceled the followup appointment using the website. He received an instant reply that his appointment had been canceled. He likes the website because he can access his medical data and make appointments, but wonders why he does not get a response when he asks billing questions.

Debra also has health insurance, but it is provided by a private insurance company that provides insurance to members of her professional organization. She, too, is concerned about costs, because her premium is high and because she has a higher deductible than Jason.

During her routine visit, she shared her concern about costs with her doctor.

“How much will today’s visit cost me?” she asked. “The sign at the check-in said that payment was expected at the time of the service. I asked how much this visit would be, and they told me they couldn’t tell me until I checked out.”

Her doctor pursed his lips and said, “I have no idea what each patient pays or what their insurance

pays. I’m like the pilot on an airplane. I just fly the plane. I know that each passenger paid a different amount for the ticket, but I don’t know how much.”

He then confided that all this technology was more than he bargained for. He wanted more patient interaction and less filling in forms on the computer in the examination room.

George is the spouse of an employer that provides health insurance for its employees who opt to participate in the plan. George and his spouse have chosen the plan as their primary insurance.

They have a $1,000 deductible; the employer pays a small portion of the premium. When they enrolled in the plan they were contacted by mail and requested to go online and participate in a wellness program.

Doing so would result in a small rebate in their premium.

They say that the website “…is fantastic.” It provides a way to enter their medical information, their physicians’ contact information and direct email to the clinic. There is a wealth of information about every disease and ailment imaginable. There is a section for setting weight loss and exercise goals. Together, they check in at least once a week to post updated information. They also have access to a registered nurse who will counsel them and answer questions. They love the technology.

An observation after listening to the stories of these three individuals is that technology is beginning to play a greater role in communication with the health care provider. They were not doing these things five years ago. A second observation is that no standard has yet been set. Some providers and health insurance companies have fully embraced technology while others are still holding back.

In any case, technology is changing the health care model.

EDUCATION

other states signed on, although opponents have attacked the effort as a federal takeover of education. The federal government gave money to PARCC and another multistate group to help develop tests.

Mississippi and some other states have deployed PARCC tests as a pilot project during the current school year. Local and state school officials are awaiting the roll-out of the full new testing program in spring 2015.

Hinds County Chancery Judge Dewayne Thomas ruled that Davis is liable for the full amount sought

by State Auditor Stacey Pickering.

“This investigation began more than three years ago, and we have remained committed to protecting the taxpayers of Southaven during this time,” Pickering said in a statement.

The trial in the matter concluded last October.

Davis has argued he did nothing wrong and all his expenses were legitimate and approved by the Board of Aldermen throughout the case that has dragged on since 2011.

Davis was sued by Pickering for allegedly misusing more than $170,000 in city funds for trips, expensive dinners and clothing. Davis has repaid $96,000 but still owes Southaven taxpayers $73,915, including interest and penalties.

Board votes to fund Common Core tests JACKSON — The Board of Education has approved spending about $8.4 million on standardized tests aligned with the new Common Core state standards.

The board voted May 16 for the first year of what could be a four-year contract with a division of the British firm Pearson, PLC. The money is Mississippi’s share of the cost of a multistate testing group called the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC. Common Core is a set of standards designed to standardize student learning. Mississippi and 44

POLITICS

Davis must repay $73K Former Southaven Mayor Greg Davis was ordered Tuesday to repay $73,000 for misusing city funds for trips, expensive dinners and clothing.

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

4 I Mississippi Business Journal I May 23 2014 »THE NEW WORLD OF PUBLISHING

AGRICULTURE

Why publish a book?

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he last decade has been difficult for book publishers and booksellers. In 2012 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (the largest textbook company in the U.S. and the publisher of The Lord of the Rings books) filed for bankruptcy protection. The year prior, the nation’s second largest bookstore chain, Borders, liquidated its entire inventory in 399 stores.

Despite these industry struggles, the opportunities for independent authors to publish books have increased dramatically. In fact, in 2013, 24 of Amazon.com’s Top 100 books were published by writers who had no affiliation with a publishing house.

This new monthly department in the Mississippi Business Journal will explore all aspects of book publishing — from crafting your narrative to marketing your finished product. The inaugural column starts with the basic question: Why publish a book?

There are plenty of good reasons. And a couple of bad ones.

Neil White can lead to a career in paid speaking engagements.

6. To Enhance Employment In certain industries, like higher education, publication of a book is a priority for advancement. And that’s reason enough to publish.

Not-So-Good Reasons Beware of these two motivations when deciding whether to publish a book: 1. Money Of all the books published today, 99% sell fewer than 1,000 copies. The bestsellers (think Grisham, Stephen King) have skewed public perception about money and the book business.

Most authors not only don’t make money, they lose it. On average, a writer makes $2.50 for every hardcover book sold and 90¢ for every paperback.

With that tiny revenue stream trickling in, it’s virtually impossible to make up for the time, effort, and money expended to produce a book.

But this is all OK, especially if your primary motives are those listed above. If your book is the best you can make it, and it reflects your efforts in writing, editing, design and manufacturing, the end product will be something you, your children, your grandchildren and your friends will be proud to display on bookshelves for a lifetime.

It still sometimes happens that a book hits a nerve and becomes commercially successful – but if you count on financial success, odds are you will be sorely disappointed.

2. Public recognition If you’re after public accolades and glowing book reviews, you are also setting yourself up for disappointment. In most cases, when a book is launched, there is very little fanfare.

One of my prolific author friends from Memphis once told me, “As each new creation is released into the world, I wait for the phone calls and emails to pour in . . . but it almost never happens.”

But if you want the warm response of friends and family, clients, and your targeted market, you may be pleasantly surprised (not to mention the thrilling experience, the shear joy, of having a reader captivated by the words you created).

... in 2013, 24 of Amazon.com’s Top 100 books were published by writers who had no affiliation with a publishing house.

Excellent Reasons To Publish A Book 1. To Tell a Good Story The best reason in the world to publish a book is to tell a compelling story — real or imagined — that leaves the reader with a better sense of the universe. Though rare, these great stories last for generations. This desire is what drove John Grisham to write A Time to Kill and Harper Lee to pen To Kill A Mockingbird. If storytelling is your primary motive, you are on the right track.

2. To Share a Particular Experience The era of the memoir has been in full bloom for the last 20 years (I actually wrote one, In the Sanctuary of Outcasts, a few years ago about the year I spent as a federal prison with the last victims of leprosy in America). According to a recent survey, the number one, unfulfilled dream of baby boomers is to write their life story. If you’ve led a remarkable life — or experienced one-of-kind adventures — and want to share it with the world, a book may be just the thing for you.

3. To Help Others Prescriptive (or self-help) books are wildly popular — from weight loss to parenting and from financial freedom to leadership skills. If you have a particular expertise to pass along to readers, this may be your genre.

4. To Preserve Family History Publishing a book on your family can be one of the greatest gifts you can give to future generations. If the stories are fascinating and the characters from your lineage come to life on the page, you will have done much more that simply preserve history.

5. To Bolster Your Business Many businessmen and businesswomen write books to gain credibility in their industry. A good book (well written and well manufactured) can certainly enhance your reputation or help solidify you as an expert in your particular field.

And if you are lucky enough to be ahead of the curve on certain business trends or innovations, a good business book

An Explosion In The Book World Last year in the United States more than 400,0000 titles were published — and 391,000 of those books were produced by independent authors. That’s nearly 1 book for every 800 Americans.

In next month’s column, we’ll explore the “Four Paths To Publication.”

Neil White is a writer and publisher from Oxford. He serves as Creative Director at The Nautilus Publishing Company. He can be reached at neilwhite@nautiluspublishing.com

Rothenburg to address Delta 1000 during Delta Council Stu Rothenberg, a widely recognized political analyst, will address Delta 1000 members at the May 30 Delta Council Annual Meeting in Cleveland.

“Stu Rothenberg has become a staple at Delta Council meetings because his many friends and admirers in the region want to continue receiving his insights and knowledge,” stated Gibb Steele, president of Delta Council.

“He is not only on target in his election predictions, but he also has a keen grasp of the factors that influence the way those elections come out.”

Steele also announced that Rothenberg will do an additional five minutes of audience response during the 10:30 a.m. Business Session about the upcoming midterm elections.

Rothenberg has addressed Delta Council numerous times during the past fifteen years. He is the editor of the Rothenberg Political Report, a nonpartisan, non-ideological political newsletter covering U.S. House, Senate and gubernatorial campaigns. He is also a twice-a-week columnist for Roll Call. A frequent soundbite, Rothenberg has appeared on Meet the Press, This Week, Face the Nation, NewsHour, Nightline and many other television programs. He is often quoted in the nation’s major media, and his op-eds have appeared in the New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and other newspapers.

Rothenberg served during the 2008, 2010, and 2012 election cycles as an analyst for the NewsHour on PBS. During the 2006 cycle, he was a political analyst for CBS News. Prior to that, he was a political analyst for CNN for over a decade, including election nights from 1992 through 2004.

Delta 1000 is a program begun by Delta Council more than 30 years ago to ask all of the members of Delta Council to pay $100 above and beyond their regular membership dues. This support through the “Delta 1000” Program has helped Delta Council maintain one of the most effective area-wide economic development programs in the entire nation.

The 79th Delta Council Annual Meeting will begin at 10:30 a.m. This year’s meeting, which will include an address by Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Krysta Harden.

LAW AND ACCOUNTING

Environmental attorney John Brunini joins Butler Snow John A. Brunini has joined Butler Snow’s Ridgeland office.

“Johnny is a respected environmental attorney who is well known across Mississippi, the Southeast and throughout the nation,” said Donald Clark Jr., chairman of Butler Snow. “His addition will certainly strengthen our environmental team and add value to the services we offer clients.”

Brunini is a member of the firm’s Government and Regulatory Group. His practice focuses on air and water permitting and compliance issues, surface coal mining permitting and compliance issues, wetlands permitting, state and federal property development issues, solid waste planning, permitting and compliance issues, emergency response matters, and large-scale product development.

— from staff and MBJ wire services

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

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Website: www.msbusiness.com May 23, 2014 Volume 36, Number 21

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MBJPERSPECTIVE May 23, 2014 • www.msbusiness.com • Page 5

OTHER VIEWS

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School support never takes summer break

dvocacy for public education in Mississippi has no off-season.

The pressing needs, beginning with inadequate basic financing from the state, demand fulltime attention.

This month, The Parents Campaign issued refreshed information about the shortchanged allocation of funds for public schools through the Mississippi Adequate Education Program.

The MAEP, passed by the Legislature, could have been the biggest step forward in the history of Mississippi schools, but it has fallen short of its potential because the Legis-

lature (with the complicity of some governors) has not fully funded the MAEP formula, which is a law.

If individuals failed to pay bills as they come due as lawmakers have failed to pay for MAEP the legal consequences would have kicked in long ago.

MAEP is a law that provides a formula that is designed to ensure an adequate education for every Mississippi child – whether that child lives in a “wealthy” community or a “poor” one.

Note that the formula is not intended to provide funding for top-tier spending, simply an amount for adequate achievement.

The MAEP provides funding for essential things but nothing that could be called frills: » Teacher and other district employee salaries, retirement and insurance » Textbooks and other instructional materials » Basic operational costs (utilities, facility maintenance, etc.)

The MAEP formula does not include funding for administrators’ salaries, transportation, special education, vocational education, gifted education, alternative education, teacher supplies, increases in inSee VIEWS, Page 6

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

» THE OUTSIDE WORLD

» PERCOLATING WITH CRAWFORD

Modernized talent supply chain needed

MELISSA KILLINGSWORTH Sr. Account Executive

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

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» CORRECTIONS The Mississippi Business Journal takes seriously its responsibility to provide accurate information, and will correct or clarify articles produced by the editorial department if we have made an error or published misleading information. The correction will be placed in the perspective section.

If you see inaccuracies in Mississippi Business Journal news stories, please report the mistake via email at editor@msbusiness.com.

ou’ve heard of supply chains, right?

They begin with raw materials, transmogrify into component parts, then assemble into Toyotas, Subway Sandwiches, AT&T networks and sometimes pitched battles.

Yes, the military relies upon supply chains. Materiel must be at the right place at the right time or the battle may be lost. Modern military materiel management — called logistics — consists of planning, organizing, directing, coordinating, and controlling the use of resources to ensure effective, efficient and timely support of military units.

Bill Crawford It includes requirements determination, acquisition, distribution, maintenance and disposal.

Modern manufacturing operates the same way…with extra emphasis on efficiency and timeliness.

Modern technology radically improved manufacturing efficiency. “Just in time delivery,” the process whereby manufacturing assemblers require suppliers to provide components and raw materials when needed, radically improved timeliness.

FedEx and UPS became highly successful by modernizing logistics and delivering customers effective, efficient, and timely service.

Modern logistics, the effective operation of supply chains, has become a critical component of successful industry and military operations.

Now industry is looking to apply its modern logistics approach to something besides supplies…talent.

The Accenture 2014 Manufacturing Skills and Training Study, published in alliance with the ManuSee CRAWFORD, Page 6

PERSPECTIVE

6 I Mississippi Business Journal I May 23, 2014 »FROM THE AP

Analysis: LGBT group faces Miss. political hurdles

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national civil rights group called Human Rights Campaign faces significant challenges as it tries to make Mississippi’s legal climate more open for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents.

HRC recently announced that it will spend $8.5 million for its “Project One America” in Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas, which currently have no laws to prohibit people from being fired from jobs or evicted from housing based on their sexual orientation.

The group’s president, Arkansas native Chad Griffin, said HRC is seeking equal rights, not special rights, in the three southern states. He said one goal is to show southerners that LGBT people are already part of their communities, as relatives, friends and co-workers.

“You’re just as likely to be gay in Meridian as you are in Manhattan,” Griffin said last week during a news conference in the Mississippi Capitol.

Mississippi has had highprofile legal battles in recent years over one school that banned a lesbian student from taking a female date to the prom and another that would not publish a yearbook photo of a lesbian student wearing a tuxedo.

The state has very few openly gay elected officials, and politicians of both major parties have long campaigned by saying they believe marriage should only be between a man and a woman. In 2004, Mississippi voters approved a state constitutional amendment that bans samesex marriage. It was approved by 86 percent of people voting that day. There appears to be little sentiment among legislative leaders to repeal the amendment.

“I think people in the state have strongly spoken that they believe marriage is one man and one woman,” House Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton, said after the HRC news conference.

Mississippi enacted a hate-crimes law in the mid-1990s to allow judges to set enhanced penalties for crimes motivated by racial hatred. The law does not cover sexual orientation, and

Emily Pettus there has been no momentum to add it.

During their 2014 session, legislators passed and Republican Gov. Phil Bryant signed a bill called the Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which becomes law July 1. It says government cannot put a substantial burden on religious practices, without a compelling reason. Although it does not mention gays or lesbians, critics fear it will provide justification for business owners who oppose homosexuality to refuse services to same-sex couples.

Among those pushing for the new law were leaders of the state’s Pentecostals and Southern Baptists.

Christian Action Commission is the lobbying group for the Mississippi Baptist Convention, the state’s largest denomination.

The commission’s website says marriage is a lifetime commitment between one man and one woman and “this Church, its pastors, staff and members will not participate in same-sex unions, same-sex ‘marriages,’ or domestic partnership ceremonies nor shall any of its property or resources be used for such purposes.”

In the past few months, governing boards in six Mississippi cities have adopted HRC-backed resolutions that praise diversity and say all people are worthy of respect, including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. The cities are Bay St. Louis, Greenville, Hattiesburg, Magnolia, Oxford and Starkville.

While supporters say the resolutions are an important step to help all residents feel included, it’s unclear whether the documents will have much effect on people’s day-to-day lives. After the Bay St. Louis vote, City Council member Jeffrey Reed told WLOX-TV that if the resolution there were worded differently, it might not have been adopted unanimously by the sevenmember council.

“It was a citizen issue, and based on our economics for the city, we support economics, so no one group stood out,” said Reed, who is a minister of a nondenominational church.

The state has very few openly gay elected officials, and politicians of both major parties have long campaigned by saying they believe marriage should only be between a man and a woman. In 2004, Mississippi voters approved a state constitutional amendment that bans same-sex marriage.

It was approved by 86 percent of people voting that day.

There appears to be little sentiment among legislative leaders to repeal the amendment.

Emily Wagster Pettus is a veteran reporter for the Mississippi Associated Press.

VIEWS

Continued from Page 5

surance premiums, building funds for facility maintenance and improvement, salary increases mandated by the legislature for the next fiscal year and school improvement programs The shameful truth about school funding in Mississippi is that since 2011 (the last election year), recurring state revenue has increased by more than $800 million. During that same time, funding for the Mississippi Adequate Education Program has increased by only $113 million, or 14 percent of the increase in available funding.

A newly developing initiative, rising from the private sector, The Better Schools Better Jobs initiative, would require the Legislature to use at least 25 percent of new growth to build up the Mississippi Adequate Education Program fund to provide the basics for a good education.

Mississippians who support public education cannot expect progress without effort, and so far the opponents of adequate public education appear to have worked smarter, harder and longer.

The summer offers a perfect time for meeting, planning and building MAEP momentum for late 2014 and the all-important 2015 state election year.

Our schools depend on it.

— Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal

CRAWFORD

Continued from Page 5

facturing Institute, found that “more than 75 percent of manufacturers report a moderate to severe shortage of skilled resources (talent) and over 80 precent of manufacturers report a moderate to severe shortage in highly skilled manufacturing resources.” To overcome this shortage, it says business must build “a talent supply chain with the needed skills to fuel growth.”

We can see this in Mississippi. To locate here, Yokohama Tire Company would not rely on outdated, ineffective, untimely and minimal capacity vocational programs in schools and colleges to provide workers. The company required the state to ramp up a talent supply chain that will provide highly-skilled workers for its jobs in a timely manner.

Unfortunately, not all industries can require such a response from the state.

However, if we want to modernize our industrial base and compete for more companies like Yokohama, it’s clear the state must revamp and expand vocational programs into an industry-driven, talent supply chain that utilizes just in time, relevant, credential-based training programs. Traditional semester-based programs using outdated curricula with no skills authentication or credentials requirements won’t cut it.

The Accenture study says opportunities for growth will abound for states that provide talent: “More than 50 percent of companies report plans to increase USbased production by at least five percent in the next five years, with nearly a quarter of respondents planning to grow US-based manufacturing roles by over 10 percent in the next five years.”

The supply chain for manufacturing talent in Mississippi needs to undergo the same modernization that happened for supply logistics. Can our school, college, and legislative leadership meet this challenge?

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

May 23 2014

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AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY

Developing vehicle-tovehicle communication could reduce accidents JACKSON — When vehicles and roadway able transportation infrastructure for our infrastructures are able to exchange infor- state,” Mississippi Department of Transmation with each other, there is great po- portation Executive Director Melinda Mctential to make Mississippi’s transportation Grath said in a news release. “MDOT welcomes this robust technology and its system significantly safer, smarter and greener.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently announced that it will begin taking steps toward enabling vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology for light vehicles. The technology would improve safety by allowing vehicles to communicate directly with each other and ultimately avoid future accidents by exchanging basic safety data, such as speed and position, 10 Melinda McGrath times per second.

Executive director, Mississippi Department of Transportation Research conducted by USDOT indicated that vehicles using V2V technology will be able to identify certain risks and will pro- many safety advantages that will benefit all vide drivers with warnings to avoid other motorists in Mississippi.”

NHTSA is also considering future acvehicles in common accident scenarios such as rear-end, lane change and intersec- tions on active safety technologies that tion crashes with safety data such as speed rely on on-board sensors, including reand location of nearby vehicles. These ap- quiring rear visibility technology in all plications will benefit all motorists by mak- new vehicles under 10,000 pounds by ing Mississippi’s roads safer.

“This groundbreaking technological See VEHICLE, Page 9 platform will ensure a safer and more reli-

“This groundbreaking technological platform will ensure a safer and more reliable transportation infrastructure for our state”

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MISSISSIPPI’S APRIL UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURES

Tate 8.0

March ’14 1,264,900 100,800 7.6 8.0 1,164,100

April ’13 1,286,100 103,900 8.8 8.1 1,182,200

’13 Avg. 1,286,400 110,800 XXX 8.6 1,175,700

Coahoma 10.8

Yalobusha 8.0

April ‘14 154,845,000 9,079,000 6.3 5.9 145,767,000

STATE OF MISSISSIPPI Unemployment Insurance Data •• Initial UI Claims Continued Claims Benefits Paid Weeks Paid First Payments Final Payments Average Weekly Benefit

March ’14 155,627,000 10,537,000 6.7 6.8 145,090,000

April 2014 8,632 73,5718 $10,571,932 55,176 3,542 1,675 $191.60

April ’13 154,739,000 11,014,000 7.5 7.1 143,724,000

’13 Avg. 155,389,000 11,460,000 XXX 7.4 143,929,000

March 2014 7,979 4,601 $11,989,748 62,998 3,095 1,714 $190.32

Leflore 10.9

Carroll 7.2

Montgomery 8.7

Humphreys 11.4

Holmes 13.8

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Lowndes 7.7

Oktibbeha 6.8

Winston 9.6

Leake 7.3

Neshoba 5.1

Scott 4.6

Newton 5.7

Noxubee 13.7

Kemper 13.7

Madison 4.9 Warren 7.7 Rankin 4.2

Hinds 6.1

Claiborne 12.2

Adams 6.7

Wilkinson 9.5

Copiah 7.3

Franklin 7.5

Lincoln 6.2

Amite 7.7

Pike 7.7

4.2 - 5.1 5.2 - 7.7 7.8 - 12.2 12.3 - 16.3

Jasper 7.6

Smith 6.0

Simpson 5.5

Covington Jones 5.4 4.8

Walthall 8.9

Marion 7.8

Lamar 4.8

Pearl River 6.6

Hancock 6.6

Lauderdale 6.8

Clarke 8.0

Wayne 8.4

Lawrence Jeff Davis 7.4 8.0

Unemployment Rates tes

— Mississippi Department of Employment Security

http://www.msbusiness.com

Yazoo 8.9

Issaquena 16.3

Monroe 9.8

Clay 14.7

Choctaw 7.7

Attala 9.1

Jefferson 12.7

** Average for most recent twelve months, including current month •• Unemployment Insurance amounts presented in this section only represent regular UI benefits, federal program amounts are not included.

Labor force amounts are produced in cooperation with the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Note: Unless indicated state and county data presented are not seasonally adjusted.

Tishomingo 6.9

Itawamba 6.7

Chickasaw 9.0

Webster 10.2

Washington 11.6

Moving Avg.** 155,481,000 10,864,000 XXX 7.0 144,617,000

April 2013 11,478 91,792 $14,551,596 76,798 4,540 2,339 $189.48

Calhoun 7.9

Grenada 6.7

Sunflower 11.6

Lee 6.8

Pontotoc 6.5

Quitman 10.7

Bolivar 8.3

Moving Avg.** 1,275,600 103,800 XXX 8.1 1,171,800

Lafayette 4.9

Sharkey 7.8

UNITED STATES Labor Force Data Civilian Labor Force Unemployed Unemployment Rate (Adjusted) Unemployment Rate (Unadjusted) Employed

Alcorn 5.9

Tippah 8.1 Union 5.5

Tallahatchie 9.0

April ‘14 1,255,800 85,700 7.5 6.8 1,170,100

Benton 8.6

Prentiss 7.4

Panola 9.0

Labor force and employment security data STATE OF MISSISSIPPI Labor Force Data Civilian Labor Force Unemployed Unemployment Rate (Adjusted) Unemployment Rate (Unadjusted) Employed

Marshall 7.7

Forrest 6.1

Perry 7.0

Stone 6.2

Harrison 6.3

Greene 8.2

George 7.1

Jackson 7.3

Source: Labor Market Data Publication April 2014 Design: Labor Market Information Department, MDES

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RICHLAND

Continued from Page 2

nesses locating there would represent the first brand-new development along Scarbrough Street in many years.

The city has also executed an adaptive reuse of big-box space that offers new health care-related businesses on Scarbrough Street. Once the home of the Winn-Dixie grocery store, Polk’s Drugs, a long-time Richland business, moved across the street into the space, which now also includes Medical Associates of Richland, Richland Primary Care, Polk Dental and Performance Rehab. Before this development, Richland offered little in medicalrelated services, forcing residents to go to Jackson or Flowood for much of their health care needs The newest tenant in that space is Dickey’s Barbecue, which opened just a month ago.

There are also new businesses being built around town that will serve local residents. These include a new Gateway Tire store and Net Auto car dealership, which are going up near the new Hampton Inn that is slated for opening this summer.

For communities of Richland’s size, economic development is usually a series “small victories,” and Drip Drop is a good example. When owners Chris and Darron Hinton first looked at the space in the strip mall on Highway 49 to locate their business, they realized they didn’t need the entire space. So, the owner of the property, Conrad Martin, agreed to split the space, giving part of it to the pre-existing business The Crawfish King, Seafood and Catering.

The owners of The Crawfish King converted that area into the business’ first-ever dining space.

Mike Ray, the manager of The Crawfish King, said now Martin is exploring the idea of purchasing an adjacent piece of property and building a outdoor patio where customers of The Crawfish King, Drip Drop and other businesses in the strip mall can gather.

Mayor Mark Scarborough says landing more businesses like Drip Drop Coffee Shop is Richland’s key to success.

VEHICLE

Continued from Page 7

May 2018. This rear visibility system would expand rear views enabling the driver to detect areas behind the vehicle. These types of safety applications are eventually expected to blend with V2V technology. The technologies will not automatically operate vehicle systems, such as braking or steering, but are being developed to provide warnings to motorists, preventing imminent collisions and ultimately saving lives.

The information sent from V2V technology does not involve exchanging or recording personal information, nor does it track vehicle movements. Instead, it merely contains basic safety data and

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Mississippi Business Journal

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contains several layers of security and privacy protection to ensure that vehicles can rely on messages sent from other vehicles and that a vehicle would be identifiable through defined procedures only if there is a need to fix a safety problem.

"Vehicle-to-vehicle technology represents the next generation of auto safety improvements, building on the life-saving achievements we've already seen with safety belts and air bags," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. "By helping drivers avoid crashes, this technology will play a key role in improving the way people get where they need to go while ensuring that the U.S. remains the leader in the global automotive industry."

Find more information on vehicle-to-vehicle communication research visit www.safercar.gov/v2v/index.html.

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AN MBJ FOCUS: TECHNOLOGY

‘Eight’ more th Ross Reily / The Mississippi Business Journal

Rick Brohaugh handles all the sales and demonstrations for Arc Technologies.

Arc Techn software a pape to human resourc

By LISA MONTI I CONTRIBUTOR mbj@msbusiness.com

Arc Technologies has developed a web-based software package that can help companies with multiple locations operate efficiently without all those paper forms that can cause havoc if they aren’t handled properly.

Clark Spencer, CFO of a large Sonic restaurant franchisee in Ridgeland, asked Cameron Arcemont, an experienced programmer, to find a way to process all his payroll forms and other paperwork. They formed Arc Technologies in 2004 in Ridgeland.

“Clark came to me and said he had 100 locations at that time and there were problems with the paper processes,” Arcemont said. The restaurant employees were having to fill out forms, fax them to supervisors and the payroll office. If someone dropped the ball, everything halted.

“He asked if there was anything I could do that was web based to solve his problem.”

Arcemont worked for several months on what would become their star product known as Eight, which gets its name and logo from the octopus, symbolizing a paper shuffling employee.

The intranet, web based software is sold on a subscription basis and does everything required without using paper. Forms are submitted electronically, supervisors are kept in the loop via email, payroll information is updated and employees can follow their forms throughout the system.

“W $1.50 the pr The Spenc quirem “At mont starte The Bef restau Fou ico as panie As s gies fo Wh eral E its sof Securi in tha to con Ab develo them Act re

May 23, 2014 • MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS JOURNAL • www.msbusiness.com

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Technologies paperless solution esources nightmares

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“We charge a per monthly fee per location that is about $1.50 per active employee,” Arcemont said. “We are keeping the price as low as we can, making it affordable.”

The electronic new-hire package developed by Arcemont and Spencer helped the Sonic franchisee satisfy different legal requirements in the multiple states where it operated restaurants.

“At that point in time we realized we had something,” Arcemont said. “That’s when we decided to create our company and we started looking into offering the software to other companies.”

They targeted those with a home office and multiple locations.

Before long, Arc Technologies signed up another large Sonic restaurant group in Louisiana.

Four years ago, they added a large Sonic franchise in New Mexico as a customer. Others include grocery store chains and companies in the hospitality industry.

As successful as the new-hire software is, the Arc Technologies founders haven’t stopped there.

When the state of Mississippi mandated use the of the federal E-Verify program, Arcemont added that capability to its software, working with the Department of Homeland Security and consulting with attorneys. “A person keying in that information was spending 12 hours a week just to conform with E -Verify,” Arcemont said.

A big challenge now for Arc Technologies is developing software for employers to help them manage the new Affordable Care Act requirements. “There are so many See

EIGHT, Page 19

Ross Reily / The Mississippi Business Journal

Clark Spencer, right, CFO of a large Sonic restaurant franchisee in Ridgeland, and Cameron Arcemont, an experienced programmer, formed Arc Technologies in 2004.

TECHNOLOGY

12 I Mississippi Business Journal I May 23, 2014 EDUCATION

Tech Master program a huge success » Pilot classes in selected high schools attract 4 times more students than originally expected

By BECKY GILLETTE I CONTRIBUTOR mbj@msbusiness.com

A pilot program in seven high schools in the state that is designed to improve the state’s workforce — while giving high school graduates better job and educational opportunities — has been more successful than expected with 200 graduating seniors recognized from the new Mississippi Scholars Tech Master program.

The new program is the brainchild of the Mississippi Economic Council and leaders from some of the state’s largest employers who joined forces with the Mississippi Department of Education to create a program that will help the state improve its workforce readiness.

The Mississippi Scholars program has recognized more than 27,000 students over the past 10 years for completing the Mississippi Scholars curriculum. The Scholars curriculum is designed to prepare high school students who are on the path

“We are developing the future workforce of the entire state, and employers want students who are workforce and career ready.”

Vickie Powell MEC senior vice president of foundations

of a four-year college degree, with a particular emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math.

The new MSTM program is focused on providing support and recognition of stu-

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MEC President Blake Wilson said they expected 50 students to be involved in the pilot, and instead recognized more than 200.

“We know there is a real demand for this project,” Wilson said.

“So, we are pretty excited about it. We will take it to scale this coming school year.

We will see what tweaks are needed in the program, and then will roll it out pretty hard. The idea is to encourage kids starting in the ninth grade to sign up for this course of study.”

Wilson said in order to achieve this recognition, students must commit to meeting standards in curriculum, performance and citizenship.

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NEWSMAKERS

14 I Mississippi Business Journal I May 23, 2014

Faculty, staff honored Meghan Millea, Mississippi State University professor of finance and economics, recently was named a John Grisham Master Teacher during the university's 2014 Faculty Awards and Recognition Program.

Additionally, four departmental faculty in the colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Business, and Bagley College of Engineering, and a staff member in the College of Veterinary Medicine, received awards.

Assistant professor Cory Gallo of landscape architecture won the Alumni Association Early Career Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Award.

Professor Robert S. Moore of marketing, quantitative analysis and business law won the Alumni Association Graduate Teaching Excellence Award.

Associate professor Wes Schilling of food science, nutrition and health promotion won the Alumni Association Outstanding Graduate Student Mentor Award; Admissions coordinator Julie T. "Missy" Hadaway in CVM's academic affairs office won the Irvin Atly Jefcoat Excellence in Advising Staff Award.

Associate professor Bill B. Elmore of chemical engineering won the Irvin Atly Jefcoat Excellence in Advising Faculty Award. He also holds the Hunter Henry Chair in the Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering.

Turner selected for COCA Dr. James “Jim” Turner, dean of the William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine (WCUCOM), was appointed to team chair for the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation. Turner has worked as an osteopathic family physician and emergency physician in Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina and West Virginia. He curTurner rently serves on the board of directors for the American College of Osteopathic Emergency Medicine and is an inspector for the American Osteopathic Association for medical colleges and emergency medicine residencies.

He relocated to Hattiesburg and joined the WCUCOM family in 2011 from Charleston, W.Va., where he worked in post-graduate education and developed an emergency medicine residency program.

Turner is married to Dr. Sherry Turner, D.O., and has a daughter, Ashley.

Smith named year’s best Christina Smith, cultural resource specialist for the Natchez Trace Parkway, has received the 2013 Southeast Region Employee of the Year Award for excellence in cultural program leadership. The award is presented annually to one employee from the Southeast Region in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the work in their field.

WCU’s Knight recognized William Carey University athletic director and head basketball coach Steve Knight has been selected as the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) 2014 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Coach of Character. This award is given each year by NAIA based on the five core values of the Champions of Character program: Integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership.

MEC chooses officers Alveno N. Castilla, a member of the Business Services Group and a partner with Butler Snow LLP, has been elected as the 2014-2015 Mississippi Economic Council chair. David Gates, president of the Mississippi Division at Atmos Energy, was elected to serve as the 20152016 chair. Robin Robinson, director of organization development and corporate communications at Sanderson Farms Inc. was elected as 2016-2017 chair. William Yates III, president of W.G. Yates & Sons Construction Company, will serve as treasurer for 2014-2015.

Castilla joined Butler Snow in August 2012.

Prior to joining Butler Snow, Castilla was a tax partner with Watkins Ludlam Winter & Stennis, P.A., and its successor, Jones Walker LLP. Castilla is also a CPA, licensed in both Mississippi and Tennessee. He is a Fellow of the Mississippi Bar Foundation and a former member of the Mississippi Bar Board of Commissioners and former president of the Capitol Area Bar Association. He belongs to a number of professional organizations, including the District of Columbia Bar Association, the Mississippi Society of CPAs, the Sections of Taxation of the Mississippi Bar, the American Bar Association and the American Institute of CPAs. Castilla serves on Gov. Phil Bryant’s Mississippi Works committee and on the Blueprint Mississippi steering council. He also served on Gov. Haley Barbour’s Blue Ribbon Mississippi Tax Study Commission. Castilla is past president of the Arts Alliance of Jackson & Hinds County and past co-chairman of Jackson 2000. He is currently a member of the board of directors of the following organizations: the Mississippi e-Center Foundation (chair), Mississippi Baptist Health Systems, Eco Jazz NFP Inc. (chair), Mississippi Center for Education Innovation (chair), Jackson State University Development Foundation and MINACT Inc. He is also a member of the advisory board of the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson.

Gates began his career in the energy industry with Entex in Houston, Texas. He has been in utility operations management since 1987 and joined Atmos Energy in 1991. In 1993, he was named vice president of technical services for the West Texas Division, and in 2003 he moved to Kentucky to become vice president of operations for the Kentucky/Mid-States Division. He was named president of the Mississippi Division in 2007. He is a member of the boards of the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership, Jackson Chamber of Commerce, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Mississippi Energy Institute

Lucas presented award Dr. Frances Lucas, vice president for the Gulf Park campus at the University of Southern Mississippi, was recently named 2014 Woman of the Year in the education category by the Mississippi Commission on the Status of Women. Lucas was selected for the honor because her contributions to the state of Mississippi make her an outstanding woman in the state. She has more than 30 years of executive experience in the field of education.

Prior to joining Southern Miss, Lucas served as

and Mississippi Economic Council where he served as past chair of the M.B. Swayze Foundation and Leadership Mississippi.

Robinson began her ca- Castilla reer at Sanderson Farms in 1978 after graduating from the University of Southern Mississippi with a bachelor’s in business administration. In 2000, she was named director of organization development and corporate communication. She serves on the Sanderson Farms Executive Committee Gates and also chairs the Wage and Salary Committee. She serves as chair of the Jones County Junior College Foundation and the American Lung Association PlainsGulf Region. Robinson has served as president of the Institution of Higher Learning Board of Trustees, presi- Robinson dent of the United Way of the Pine Belt, national president of Business and Professional Women/USA, president of the Mississippi Federation of Business and Professional Women and has served on the University of Mississippi Southern Mississippi Alumni Association International board of Yates directors. At MEC, Robinson was past chair of the M.B. Swayze Foundation and Leadership Mississippi.

Yates serves on the board of directors for Trustmark National Bank and Trustmark Corporation. He is currently chairman of the Mississippi Partnership for Economic Development and is also on the board of directors for the Gulf Coast Business Council. He is the immediate past president of the board for the United Way of South Mississippi and serves on the board of the Mississippi Energy Institute. He was the 2013-14 chairman of the Southeast U.S.-Japan Association Annual Meeting. Yates serves on the Millsaps College board of trustees, the Blueprint Mississippi Advisory Council and the Mississippi Economic Council board of directors.

president for 10 years at Millsaps College in Jackson and was the first female president in its history. While there, Lucas was named Mississippi’s Most Outstanding Business Woman during her presidency. In October 2013, Lucas was named Woman of the Year by the Lighthouse Business and Professional Women during their Women of Achievement Awards Ceremony. In addition to Millsaps, her experience includes serving as senior vice president for campus life at Emory University, where she served as the first woman to hold a vice presidential role in that university's 160-year history, and as vice president for stu-

dent affairs at Baldwin-Wallace College in Ohio, where, at the age of 29, she served as the youngest vice president for student affairs in the country.

Board chooses Mikula The Mississippi State Board of Mental Health has appointed Diana Mikula as the executive director of the Mississippi Department of Mental Health (DMH). Mikula will assume the role July 1, 2014 after Edwin C. LeGrand III retires.

Mikula is a long-term DMH employee, having started her career at Mississippi State Hospital (MSH) in 1995 and serving the last three years as deputy executive director. Mikula joined MSH Mikula in 1995 as a personnel officer in the Human Resource Division and was later named director of that division. In March 2000, she was promoted to administrator of Whitfield Medical Hospital, a position she held until the promotion to assistant director of MSH in 2004. In September 2007, Mikula was promoted to director of the Bureau of Mental Health at DMH Central Office.

Mikula received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mississippi and a master’s degree in health care administration from Mississippi College. She is currently pursuing her doctorate at Grand Canyon University in Organizational Leadership. Mikula has also completed the Mississippi Economic Council Leadership Mississippi Program, the John C. Stennis Institute of Government’s State Executive Development Institute and the Certified Public Managers Program. She currently serves on the DMH Professional Licensure and Certification Review Board.

Mikula is active in numerous professional organizations, including the Mississippi Hospital Association, and was a former board member of MHA’s Society of Behavioral Health Services. She also formerly served as the vice president of Mental Health/Mental Retardation Council. In 2003, Mikula was named one of Mississippi’s “Top 40 Under 40" by the Mississippi Business Journal, the first DMH employee to receive this honor. In 2012, Mikula was the recipient of the Albert Randel Hendrix Leadership Award, which is presented to a Mississippian who has demonstrated exemplary leadership in the field of services for persons with mental illness and/or mental retardation.

Mikula is a certified public manager and a licensed mental health administrator.

Currently, Mikula resides in Madison County with her husband, Tom, and daughter, Megan.

Ledet lands internship Beard + Riser Architects, PLLC, has added intern architect Robert Ledet, who will join the firm for a paid summer internship. Ledet is a full-time student of architecture at Mississippi State University and will enter his fifth and final year of study in the fall.

Prior to joining Beard + Riser, Ledet worked in the office of Howorth and Associates in Oxford, learning residential and commercial design.

Ledet Ledet is passionate about music, performing with the Robert Ledet Band. He was born and raised in Brookhaven, and is looking forward to living in the Delta for the summer.

NEWSMAKERS

May 23, 2014

I

Mississippi Business Journal

I

15

Van Ness wins award

Nurses get recognition

Trailblazers recognized

Hernandez joins clinic

Robert Van Ness, Bruce Moore Scholar of Finance and professor of finance and director of doctoral programs in the University of Mississippi School of Business Administration, was recently named the seventh recipient of UM's Distinguished Research and Creative Achievement Award. Van Ness' contributions have made an enormous impact on market microstructure, which concentrates on trading activity and market quality in financial markets. His research spans trading costs, short selling and market competition. He has collaborated with 54 co-authors throughout his career, resulting in 77 publications. Forty-four are ranked as elite, near-elite or high quality by the UM finance department. In addition to publishing in the top 25 journals in finance, Van Ness has published several pedagogical articles on enhancing the learning of students. He has made presentations at more than 70 professional meetings and conferences.

Van Ness has served on 18 finance dissertation committees, 12 of which he chaired or co-chaired. He has been awarded the MBA Outstanding Teacher of the Year three times. He serves as co-editor of The Financial Review and was Tom B. Scott Chair of Financial Institutions from 2005 to 2013.

Van Ness joined the Ole Miss faculty in 2002 after working at Marshall University and Kansas State University. He received both doctoral and master's degrees from the University of Memphis, and he holds a bachelor's degree from Vanderbilt University.

Van Ness has a daughter, Morgan, and a son, Peter.

Forrest General Hospital recently honored its outstanding nurses during National Nurses Week celebrations, including Clinical and Non-Clinical Nurses of the Year and Nurse Leader of the Year. Clinical Nurse of the Year was awarded to Vickie McGowan, RN, who works on the 3E patient care area. McGowan, who has been at Forrest General since 2000, is the patient care coordinator for the hospital’s acute inpatient rehabilitation unit.

Martha Anding, RN, who works in Forrest General’s Epic Department, was honored as the hospital’s Non-Clinical Nurse of the Year. Anding joined Forrest General’s staff in 2004 and currently serves as an Epic orders analyst.

Jean Wade, RN, director of Forrest General’s Skilled Nursing Unit, who has been with the hospital since 2011, was honored as this year’s Nurse Leader of the Year.

Former State Rep. Robert Clark, the state's first black legislator since Reconstruction, was among the recent honorees at the 2014 Mississippi Trailblazers Awards ceremony.

The annual event recognizes Mississippians for their contributions to the advancement of diversity and multicultural exchange.

Clark, of Holmes County, received the Rep. Leonard Morris Award for Public Service and Integrity and the Rev. Robert Jamison Lifetime Achievement Award.

Clark was elected to the Mississippi House in 1967. He served as education committee chairman and was elected House speaker pro-tempore in 1992. He retired in 2003.

Linda Gholston, director of Sanctuary Hospice House, is the Mississippi Trailblazer of the Year. She has led the nonprofit hospice program since January 2005, nearly a year before the west Tupelo facility accepted its first patient in November 2005. Gholston has announced plans to retire this summer.

William Heard has been selected as the Tupelo Trailblazer of the Year. Heard is a local artist known for his self-described "colorful, exuberant style" and his work to help people with serious disabilities become more independent and involved in their communities. He has been quadriplegic since an automobile accident in 2000.

Other honorees include Leroy Walker, a Jackson businessman; Dr. Wovoka Sobukwe, founder of the Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom School and Cultural Center in Etta; retired Maj. Gen. T.K. Moffett, a Tupelo attorney; Dottie Quaye Chapman Reed, McGraw-Hill associate manager, Midwest Editorial Region, Atlanta; and Lauren Taylor of Jackson, a fashion designer.

William J. Hernandez, CNP, recently joined Hattiesburg Clinic’s Downtown Medical Associates as a nurse practitioner. He earned his bachelor of science in nursing through the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and Ramapo College of New Jersey in Mahwah, N.J. He received his master of science in nursing from the University of Alabama in Birmingham, Ala. Hernandez is a U.S. Navy vet- Hernandez eran of the Gulf War in Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield.

He is board certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Hernandez is a member of the Delta Epsilon lota Honor Society, Graduate Nursing Association, Mississippi Nursing Association, New Jersey Nursing Association and the Oncology Nursing Society.

McCoy wins MUW honor Dr. Tammie McCoy, department chair of the bachelor of science in nursing program at Mississippi University for Women, was recently honored with the 2014 Kossen Faculty Excellence Award.

The award, which includes a $5,000 stipend, recognizes the role of faculty as the heart of the university. It was established in 2004 by Connie Kossen, a 1964 alumna of MUW, and her husMcCoy band, Tom. In 2013, McCoy, was named one of the top 20 medical and nursing professors in Mississippi by Online Schools Mississippi. She was honored for as Mississippi Community Service Nurse of the Year for her breast cancer awareness outreach and community literacy campaigns through the Nightingale Awards in Jackson. She also helps nursing students prepare for their own community engagements as head of the BSN department. McCoy was the recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award last year as well.

She has been involved with community service during her entire nursing career. In 2012, she served as president of the Mississippi Federation of Women's Clubs. Some of the other projects McCoy has been involved with in Mississippi include breast cancer awareness and prevention, raising funds for mammograms, teaching students to read, promoting summer reading programs, proper utilization of seatbelts and providing immunizations for students. Internationally, she has worked to provide immunizations for children in third world countries.

MCEF welcomes Eaton Dianna Eaton has joined the Mississippi Construction Education Foundation (MCEF) as the assessment administrator and workforce development coordinator. Eaton received her undergraduate degree from the University of Southern Mississippi and also graduated from the Economic Development Institute. She brings 17 years of experience in economic Eaton development and association management to MCEF. Eaton will be the primary liaison for NCCER assessments and credentialing for the commercial construction industry in Mississippi.

TEC adds Carty, Timberman TEC has appointed James Carty as account executive in the Sales Department in Hattiesburg. Carty received a bachelor of science degree from Mississippi State University.

He currently resides in Hattiesburg with his family.

TEC has also appointed Zachary Timberman as technician at TEC in Jackson. Timberman currently resides in Brandon with his family.

Kundu receives NSF award Santanu Kundu, a chemical engineer and an assistant professor in the Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering at Mississippi State University, has earned has received the National Science Foundation's Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award. The grant will provide more than $500,000 of funding over the next five years to support reKundu search into the mechanical properties of polymer gels.

Kundu joined the Bagley College of Engineering in 2012 following postdoctoral appointments at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He holds a doctoral degree from Clemson University and a bachelor's from Jadavpur University, India, both in chemical engineering.

McKnight chosen as chairman Markham McKnight, president of BancorpSouth Insurance Services Inc., has become chairman of the board of the Worldwide Broker Network. McKnight has been a leading commercial insurance executive for three decades, serving as executive vice president of Wright & Percy Insurance, one of Louisiana's oldest and largest insurance agencies, from 1982-1994, and president and CEO of Wright & Percy from 1994 to 2005. McKnight has served as President of BancorpSouth Insurance since 2005.

He has an MBA from Louisiana State University, serves as treasurer of the Louisiana Insurance Guaranty Association and is a member of the board of directors of the American Bankers Insurance Association.

Brown, Sesi made principals Karen L. Brown, P.E., and S. Lane Sesi, P.E., are new principals at Gulf States Engineering Inc. Brown serves as director of operations and Sesi as director of project management. Each have eight years’ tenure with the company.

Brown has bachelor degrees in aerospace and mechanical engineering from Mississippi State University, and Sesi holds bachelor degrees in construction sciences from the University of Southern Mississippi and civil engineering from the University of South Alabama.

Brown

Administrators serve as co-authors Two Mississippi State University administrators are helping shape natural resources education and policy in a recently released national report. Rubin Shmulsky, head of Sustainable Bioproducts, and Bruce Leopold, executive director of the Center for Resolving Human-Wildlife Conflicts, were part of a team of 35 scientists who authored “Science, Education, and Outreach Roadmap for Natural Resources.” Leopold and six other scientists developed the education section. It provides goals to effectively educate students about natural resources issues by incorporating science, technology, engineering and mathematics curriculum at the K-12 and university levels. It also addresses communicating scientific information to the general public.

Shmulsky, a senior author on the energy section, said that with energy consumption expected to increase by 50 percent by 2025, the need to find alternative energy sources is paramount.

McMullan takes home honor William Carey University and the Area Development Partnership (ADP) recently honored Wyche McMullan, owner McMullan Motors, with the 2014 Small Business Leadership Award. McMullan grew up in the automobile business, working as a young boy sweeping floors, washing cars, delivering parts and working in sales. When he graduated from college, he began working at the dealership full-time with his father, Dillard McMullan.

McMullan has served in various capacities in local civic organizations, advertising associations, the ADP, the Forrest County Industrial Park Commission and state organizations. An active member of First Presbyterian Church, he currently serves as an elder and coteaches a Sunday school class with his wife, Eleanor.

He and Eleanor have a daughter, Kristen, three sons, Kelly, Drew and Jeff, and five grandchildren.

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

Sesi

APRIL SALES TAX

16 I Mississippi Business Journal I May 23, 2014 April 2014 sales tax receipts/year to date, July 1 MISSISSIPPI STATE TAX COMMISSION Here are cities’ earnings through sales tax collections. Sales tax has a three-month cycle. Month 1 — Tax is collected by the retailer. Month 2 — Tax is reported/paid to the Tax Commission by the retailer.

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

April April Year to date YTD CITY 2014 2013 2014 2013 ABBEVILLE $3,862.67 $3,296.84 $35,752.06 $42,332.16 ABERDEEN 65,369.47 71,591.22 638,099.53 678,278.91 ACKERMAN 23,813.81 23,395.46 228,202.09 231,344.27 ALCORN STATE U 597.36 358.16 6,036.23 7,535.62 ALGOMA 2,487.55 1,942.11 21,638.53 19,864.62 ALLIGATOR 604.50 584.18 7,047.87 6,703.92 AMORY 167,254.31 161,605.62 1,539,576.24 1,536,805.80 ANGUILLA 1,478.95 2,522.26 24,189.09 28,575.82 ARCOLA 1,491.23 1,348.18 14,639.69 15,100.43 ARTESIA 923.62 778.98 9,333.80 8,612.36 ASHLAND 12,845.50 12,308.77 130,166.43 116,776.15 BALDWYN 43,053.69 49,586.84 433,223.65 458,102.39 BASSFIELD 12,016.73 12,525.27 116,191.32 121,165.80 BATESVILLE 354,854.51 347,111.35 3,290,801.64 3,214,641.17 BAY SPRINGS 54,488.09 54,548.58 518,101.71 504,736.72 BAY ST LOUIS 106,207.55 106,465.94 1,032,975.52 1,050,770.64 BEAUMONT 5,680.35 6,620.31 58,039.17 61,330.87 BEAUREGARD 190.71 266.27 2,378.71 2,427.45 BELMONT 27,139.35 22,536.27 245,375.83 224,444.07 BELZONI 44,355.99 44,317.97 415,213.21 454,047.67 BENOIT 6,552.68 6,343.94 63,828.25 64,533.82 BENTONIA 19,549.93 249,270.65 221,217.36 BEULAH 305.95 313.30 3,746.98 3,755.53 BIG CREEK 284.46 344.60 3,397.41 3,818.20 BILOXI 1,009,020.62 960,023.37 9,246,037.54 8,999,348.44 BLUE MOUNTAIN 8,790.73 9,399.42 91,719.95 88,545.94 BLUE SPRINGS 2,548.58 2,896.51 28,441.44 26,517.22 BOLTON 8,760.62 11,354.39 99,992.12 101,051.93 BOONEVILLE 157,158.75 154,002.06 1,502,149.39 1,484,407.36 BOYLE 16,467.66 18,754.86 162,092.04 144,756.18 BRANDON 418,593.85 410,564.25 4,084,681.00 4,134,861.99 BRAXTON 1,255.83 1,269.14 12,875.74 11,737.20 BROOKHAVEN 474,059.43 459,008.49 4,521,045.48 4,288,037.67 BROOKSVILLE 9,405.24 8,757.13 94,303.95 86,015.87 BRUCE 43,289.07 38,393.86 408,971.86 398,637.67 BUDE 11,397.88 11,822.14 120,545.65 103,456.62 BURNSVILLE 11,222.21 12,074.29 118,231.83 118,186.79 BYHALIA 66,247.74 59,706.62 607,238.19 583,940.41 BYRAM 150,875.68 164,511.16 1,632,920.32 1,554,059.70 CALEDONIA 14,290.95 13,184.48 127,224.71 113,754.50 CALHOUN CITY 29,065.75 24,745.50 256,867.62 243,093.63 CANTON 204,761.22 210,717.19 1,982,066.83 1,998,164.03 CARROLLTON 6,336.62 6,166.10 60,754.62 59,294.92 CARTHAGE 144,130.61 145,871.74 1,306,797.30 1,305,745.95 CARY 913.99 1,569.20 6,715.75 14,677.46 CENTREVILLE 20,365.58 19,950.52 191,261.44 186,579.08 CHARLESTON 30,054.62 28,610.52 282,632.03 282,261.79 CHUNKY 497.73 563.66 7,450.98 5,458.97 CLARKSDALE 244,905.53 237,472.60 2,294,594.87 2,329,453.95 CLEVELAND 292,502.61 302,341.47 2,808,359.84 2,850,746.68 CLINTON 378,837.47 382,922.94 3,655,217.48 3,692,465.30 COAHOMA 545.95 575.73 5,328.32 4,881.61 COAHOMA COLLEGE 14.77 849.71 2,615.01 2,945.39 COFFEEVILLE 10,333.65 8,817.50 94,753.69 103,128.04 COLDWATER 19,964.09 17,686.57 172,276.22 169,768.23 COLLINS 124,280.36 115,150.18 1,122,270.82 1,091,104.46 COLUMBIA 291,114.97 294,874.83 2,821,703.31 2,735,596.10 COLUMBUS 791,876.52 781,624.11 7,175,253.90 7,155,607.38 COMO 13,041.62 12,000.33 141,676.66 139,791.54 CORINTH 517,472.12 486,987.01 4,730,818.45 4,554,008.34 COURTLAND 1,183.28 1,349.48 11,872.09 13,090.14 CRAWFORD 1,212.80 1,309.62 14,204.25 12,515.98 CRENSHAW 6,133.84 4,682.10 46,800.72 48,441.95 CROSBY 3,515.50 713.98 26,041.98 9,646.82 CROWDER 1,446.19 1,489.47 15,006.51 17,166.67 CRUGER 718.08 474.42 5,104.91 5,824.87 CRYSTAL SPRINGS 62,935.96 59,822.08 607,638.65 522,259.83 D'IBERVILLE 571,089.68 536,097.19 5,084,006.84 4,933,586.99 D'LO 3,098.88 3,298.36 31,667.68 30,616.35 DECATUR 12,777.91 10,132.70 126,872.21 116,442.91 DEKALB 22,838.86 21,640.39 205,911.22 200,906.29 DERMA 4,728.83 4,198.98 51,457.20 47,147.34 DIAMONDHEAD 41,873.53 38,093.90 385,411.46 386,718.74 DODDSVILLE 530.88 45.70 5,151.41 4,937.24 DREW 8,670.60 9,614.27 95,058.77 95,506.15 DUCK HILL 4,320.17 3,966.52 41,402.37 37,757.70 DUMAS 1,269.31 1,284.90 10,973.28 10,708.16 DUNCAN 325.66 2,346.32 6,349.03 13,032.50 DURANT 26,314.21 24,914.89 246,754.19 240,173.86 EAST MS COLLEGE 61.83 61.61 2,969.82 2,943.93 ECRU 10,806.51 13,761.59 119,635.46 113,356.12 EDEN 65.25 60.50 694.12 539.32 EDWARDS 6,488.59 6,566.28 72,025.44 59,202.98 ELLISVILLE 98,653.86 93,587.14 870,541.42 874,527.42 ENTERPRISE 5,055.19 5,217.11 50,842.35 51,020.76 ETHEL 923.65 1,458.31 11,312.45 11,664.87 EUPORA 35,927.19 34,791.89 348,143.18 345,876.68 FALCON 106.56 32.19 1,156.49 521.01 FARMINGTON 2,870.41 3,746.62 39,319.47 43,036.26 FAULKNER 4,108.99 3,911.96 58,690.88 34,868.88 FAYETTE 19,299.37 18,274.37 177,118.95 165,943.69 FLORA 26,731.53 30,372.25 251,802.99 275,628.96 FLORENCE 67,093.76 74,802.11 632,953.27 609,939.55 FLOWOOD 928,585.43 903,509.07 8,924,058.97 8,596,312.64 FOREST 206,377.66 197,775.92 1,858,938.67 1,746,252.43 FRENCH CAMP 889.42 492.47 9,185.25 8,933.73 FRIARS POINT 2,321.92 1,812.89 22,697.53 23,373.85

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

126,982.71 87.73 189,512.54 3,966.72 2,289.26 471.52 12,968.52 5,258.55 3,636.13 555,310.49 395,357.53 359,694.75 1,799,082.55 790.47 15,769.28 245.72 1,885,715.65 110,354.51 23,723.71 245,954.35 5,280.28 5,218.89 1,120.46 14,049.17 107,412.02 347,818.72 8,776.57 88,081.27 162,079.24 6,009.85 2,584.28 11,182.09 66,391.27 2,817,679.85 4,150.03 718.99 5,137.20 173,699.70 3,920.81 6,695.85 2,576.50 818,407.05 27,676.91 501.06 48,930.86 1,647.50 43,068.14 20,610.06 119,415.15 2,391.50 911.51 158,721.43 184,233.25 3,250.17 14,966.67 2,052.65 6,090.68 49,939.46 502,394.79 174,972.64 33,647.07 18,053.92 2,851.17 4,548.19 19,831.64 20,427.74 15,467.23 841.44 489,305.91 1,248.47 6,161.28 11,213.84 47,750.41 1,311,002.11 8,713.77 1,083.73 166.97 41,764.30 126.73 16,817.08 40,394.01 482.14 9,479.63 531.50 42,502.33 149,894.51 3,512.62 8,746.12 5,163.43 493,768.65 30,877.14 252,073.40 15,324.20 7,547.02 87,805.54 2,796.48 9,116.22 6,437.08 394,311.58 34,755.70 727,948.50 4,864.79 576,211.52 371.66 1,883.07 98.35

126,284.98 122.10 204,020.46 3,886.29 1,840.40 323.16 11,368.75 4,080.16 3,799.67 573,579.83 389,123.08 368,980.74 1,745,299.09 762.85 14,717.09 433.19 1,904,465.40 112,119.63 32,034.61 235,623.75 4,189.43 5,955.13 888.00 14,788.46 111,630.66 332,119.54 8,839.15 85,955.39 159,920.16 8,233.23 1,032.34 10,717.45 62,847.61 2,722,855.43 3,950.00 751.52 4,668.56 177,619.69 4,483.68 6,777.00 4,217.06 825,854.37 26,778.47 473.72 46,103.56 1,925.05 39,829.09 20,362.22 115,767.84 2,342.86 1,087.15 157,375.21 179,518.13 3,263.02 15,718.42 3,974.36 5,686.32 52,188.16 506,333.06 175,553.41 39,261.04 17,838.70 2,675.44 5,055.79 17,877.14 20,246.60 16,164.54 428.28 478,836.69 456.77 6,149.34 10,911.01 52,347.21 1,298,575.53 8,493.78 709.67 347.62 39,509.52 699.67 10,399.80 42,120.42 2,047.18 9,884.89 624.35 40,285.37 139,132.76 3,995.46 8,926.28 3,739.14 503,155.10 27,441.02 236,601.55 14,621.36 8,050.33 89,624.00 2,420.57 9,276.55 6,499.12 378,521.74 24,900.26 667,249.96 5,578.25 567,127.50 523.55 1,824.54 171.87

1,204,002.34 1,290.81 1,784,062.47 35,847.68 19,655.37 4,344.94 121,823.35 45,796.21 36,537.98 5,196,166.81 3,652,318.65 3,381,348.86 16,278,026.60 7,889.63 155,512.85 4,125.06 17,898,338.80 1,051,947.45 296,634.85 2,423,014.01 42,825.91 51,960.40 7,358.07 140,489.24 1,002,299.04 3,247,626.32 81,712.22 806,515.83 1,586,060.93 52,202.51 24,905.38 114,948.64 639,734.98 26,579,929.01 39,962.78 6,531.53 56,289.58 1,666,070.22 36,107.76 64,688.15 28,318.16 8,020,538.13 265,806.57 4,552.56 441,936.06 16,726.36 382,757.72 190,891.95 1,120,189.06 24,020.05 9,805.28 1,501,061.04 1,664,038.94 33,625.81 149,677.70 47,551.13 62,317.16 487,786.69 5,229,506.87 1,662,092.84 317,898.00 168,157.78 24,771.21 46,832.65 184,240.86 195,162.79 150,145.33 6,858.15 4,548,589.08 19,286.82 58,620.23 105,833.34 525,900.37 12,425,059.79 67,936.13 11,958.90 4,807.90 311,551.68 8,209.97 159,830.59 381,387.15 5,333.92 88,649.83 5,840.59 408,592.41 1,452,797.96 36,543.08 78,224.28 45,716.53 4,568,798.62 253,772.21 2,377,790.93 146,831.04 75,963.36 849,302.03 31,911.43 84,374.39 58,564.30 3,787,753.27 262,513.78 6,698,557.27 50,219.19 6,038,554.06 5,169.41 17,668.87 2,110.29

1,183,443.60 1,272.19 1,844,352.99 35,793.54 16,596.78 3,350.44 111,257.62 42,803.05 35,269.23 5,283,973.50 3,668,342.59 3,359,826.59 16,052,356.73 7,612.04 150,282.31 5,405.07 17,555,647.86 1,048,513.00 342,001.84 2,337,771.70 39,504.10 58,711.57 7,068.30 142,974.60 991,471.79 3,220,029.12 81,474.53 827,210.48 1,535,106.30 61,625.00 16,238.20 116,272.93 648,079.00 26,198,243.25 37,949.02 7,999.37 57,160.84 1,665,760.30 37,801.83 67,397.43 34,908.61 7,616,994.23 236,199.51 4,513.23 429,051.40 16,902.97 369,489.27 190,175.15 1,106,248.58 23,634.54 10,082.84 1,445,460.54 1,616,582.85 32,818.27 145,627.14 56,466.52 62,368.97 493,167.62 4,951,573.52 1,632,759.15 348,675.11 162,871.82 27,674.32 46,934.09 162,817.73 195,979.47 152,884.29 5,596.36 4,431,885.37 5,042.99 58,046.78 103,843.71 486,046.98 11,977,310.52 70,559.27 10,690.29 5,708.03 261,339.09 7,625.16 120,652.95 382,368.16 6,105.97 90,344.07 6,003.12 386,389.95 1,318,495.63 46,766.28 82,204.40 37,779.85 4,461,458.21 235,038.13 2,306,089.97 151,267.36 72,915.07 854,490.99 28,588.90 92,526.56 58,227.53 3,717,743.14 244,117.71 6,215,899.13 54,375.04 5,697,457.56 5,632.07 18,153.14 1,592.51

PASCAGOULA 502,978.98 PASS CHRISTIAN 100,755.18 PAULDING 150.87 PEARL 812,584.50 PELAHATCHIE 31,961.42 PETAL 206,216.94 PHILADELPHIA 763,393.53 PICAYUNE 376,502.42 PICKENS 7,888.79 PITTSBORO 424.68 PLANTERSVILLE 4,040.79 POLKVILLE 164.44 PONTOTOC 200,257.57 POPE 3,020.02 POPLARVILLE 55,703.56 PORT GIBSON 19,940.71 POTTS CAMP 6,801.00 PRENTISS 39,974.02 PUCKETT 10,775.41 PURVIS 75,856.18 QUITMAN 44,893.04 RALEIGH 15,374.04 RAYMOND 18,868.34 RENOVA 2,215.19 RICHLAND 415,276.03 RICHTON 27,688.82 RIDGELAND 1,171,957.49 RIENZI 4,063.62 RIPLEY 108,974.63 ROLLING FORK 34,348.88 ROSEDALE 10,266.45 ROXIE 1,380.34 RULEVILLE 18,942.97 SALLIS 1,488.99 SALTILLO 64,181.36 SANDERSVILLE 67,112.82 SARDIS 31,000.07 SATARTIA 117.67 SCHLATER 848.25 SCOOBA 6,098.75 SEBASTAPOL 16,081.14 SEMINARY 12,592.37 SENATOBIA 182,455.25 SHANNON 12,733.83 SHAW 6,686.46 SHELBY 10,277.12 SHERMAN 16,605.76 SHUBUTA 3,969.12 SHUQUALAK 2,082.07 SIDON 758.49 SILVER CITY 367.49 SILVER CREEK 2,764.90 SLATE SPRINGS 409.75 SLEDGE 1,718.48 SMITHVILLE 6,810.96 SNOWLAKESHORES 336.89 SOSO 12,185.72 SOUTHAVEN 1,182,685.52 SOUTHWEST MS CC 11.96 STARKVILLE 520,684.71 STATE LINE 11,202.45 STONEWALL 6,820.20 STURGIS 2,118.52 SUMMIT 33,330.68 SUMNER 5,357.85 SUMRALL 37,805.62 SUNFLOWER 1,714.79 SYLVARENA 542.53 TAYLOR 2,123.96 TAYLORSVILLE 26,965.92 TCHULA 6,606.36 TERRY 21,854.61 THAXTON 4,243.70 THE UNIV. OF MS 21,900.15 TISHOMINGO 10,622.01 TOCCOPOLA 220.93 TREMONT 1,660.35 TUNICA 53,198.39 TUPELO 1,625,258.11 TUTWILER 3,922.13 TYLERTOWN 55,174.25 UNION 29,493.90 UTICA 12,810.06 VAIDEN 9,958.04 VARDAMAN 9,985.49 VERONA 22,039.42 VICKSBURG 675,610.86 WALLS 5,528.80 WALNUT 18,018.55 WALNUT GROVE 6,110.16 WALTHALL 2,031.55 WATER VALLEY 41,285.00 WAVELAND 192,276.98 WAYNESBORO 183,282.17 WEBB 7,565.76 WEIR 2,611.98 WESSON 11,636.17 WEST 1,602.26 WEST POINT 201,939.60 WIGGINS 151,120.13 WINONA 89,337.61 WINSTONVILLE 371.09 WOODLAND 5,335.57 WOODVILLE 30,915.84 YAZOO CITY 158,663.34 TOTAL $36,426,348.93

490,524.21 105,621.48 130.61 719,203.56 27,770.12 204,068.50 357,336.93 361,643.05 7,356.61 388.69 4,201.76 116.48 196,758.87 4,302.84 54,556.52 20,411.37 7,813.31 41,402.34 8,557.83 65,420.37 44,037.70 18,703.37 17,735.38 2,850.97 376,360.07 28,365.17 1,313,155.68 4,348.30 107,835.23 37,234.85 10,079.20 1,563.77 23,146.64 2,028.34 55,212.20 47,802.05 26,078.86 376.66 595.57 5,613.31 14,112.86 12,031.07 176,014.40 11,643.36 7,532.96 10,407.96 10,838.40 3,816.37 1,814.64 791.49 381.66 3,299.69 219.44 1,564.08 6,049.65 126.73 11,937.72 1,099,031.02 42.00 491,545.50 9,580.53 6,873.32 2,567.59 36,983.21 3,231.44 38,778.08 1,466.02 527.44 893.37 27,648.11 7,475.15 23,741.29 3,165.72 17,251.05 8,605.62 540.79 1,618.79 43,412.79 1,562,979.14 3,676.11 58,589.21 30,394.25 9,634.42 9,964.84 9,638.37 20,311.95 695,019.33 4,323.78 17,239.92 7,343.50 768.78 38,435.70 192,492.35 184,438.59 8,503.93 2,576.19 14,922.76 1,486.12 181,017.80 154,052.35 91,448.07 305.62 6,207.67 27,437.40 148,661.10 $35,328,097.21

4,579,648.01 4,443,986.69 960,493.02 922,096.95 1,504.00 1,135.52 7,810,228.78 6,799,364.72 305,219.06 259,683.72 1,898,298.36 1,804,826.94 3,752,633.82 3,181,207.89 3,477,885.82 3,405,782.79 75,246.43 76,963.44 4,106.59 4,333.10 38,936.90 37,045.94 3,418.90 3,659.20 1,873,463.26 1,815,182.40 23,180.03 38,515.48 545,472.25 510,115.77 198,282.80 197,777.09 76,619.37 83,804.95 358,618.65 356,908.94 85,258.80 86,731.15 626,539.44 571,192.24 459,872.08 430,642.28 166,393.65 164,583.33 175,096.99 162,007.54 25,449.51 27,387.35 4,107,574.17 3,747,636.34 261,739.78 260,442.10 10,679,181.16 10,301,805.74 39,409.84 27,528.86 1,010,453.13 1,009,424.13 351,320.74 348,114.25 92,987.65 100,732.71 14,656.33 14,506.02 201,797.05 192,364.32 19,852.62 21,993.97 532,394.02 589,242.54 676,739.39 633,578.29 249,149.44 244,563.25 3,304.65 4,134.78 9,739.99 9,137.64 60,285.07 62,656.50 157,384.69 150,197.61 118,761.09 109,741.37 1,704,486.19 1,556,248.35 122,503.89 138,203.62 65,351.52 63,560.41 91,380.47 98,430.06 112,895.23 112,576.36 38,529.16 35,196.75 20,236.77 18,495.00 8,295.89 7,933.29 3,733.52 3,922.48 29,929.30 29,207.47 3,019.26 3,062.79 18,462.11 15,332.92 58,627.71 55,343.00 4,000.16 1,263.79 123,354.89 136,180.78 10,728,252.12 10,420,051.39 683.83 1,633.21 4,916,944.77 4,733,964.29 104,606.53 87,305.22 67,189.71 65,920.46 26,565.54 36,837.22 320,361.09 305,936.76 59,166.83 41,965.62 363,205.35 353,317.07 20,807.31 19,217.13 2,808.19 3,213.67 18,997.66 17,697.88 252,405.41 247,419.95 70,432.08 70,196.53 238,898.57 240,874.18 36,558.40 29,478.05 211,354.37 344,673.15 86,694.10 81,673.09 5,084.82 5,610.73 17,831.18 16,881.28 466,323.30 411,797.10 15,025,791.47 14,901,035.62 39,234.03 37,828.48 534,457.54 535,999.15 291,317.47 289,133.26 120,272.15 114,130.77 93,670.35 102,111.13 103,828.72 102,994.00 194,527.45 196,970.65 6,375,732.54 6,335,630.31 49,627.30 32,806.05 166,106.06 164,132.36 66,773.51 66,740.57 18,920.01 17,043.02 387,940.08 389,626.67 1,775,872.38 1,773,053.90 1,756,894.23 1,707,799.57 79,581.73 77,796.36 22,470.10 23,574.31 128,914.19 145,016.18 17,352.92 15,000.77 1,871,277.41 1,753,001.80 1,434,397.23 1,395,467.22 845,114.07 868,418.42 2,274.80 3,729.61 59,177.88 56,216.05 288,310.31 261,868.50 1,416,627.80 1,469,146.34 $339,574,616.80 $330,402,251.94

May 23 2014

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Mississippi Business Journal

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17

» MISSISSIPPI LEADERS by Martin Willoughby

Managing priorities Shaw leads tech research

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n my executive coaching practice, I often analyze with my clients the constant barrage of demands on their time. One of the most influential books to me on this topic is a short work by author Charles Hummel titled Tyranny of the Urgent! For a successful leader, there are always more demands on your time than you can respond. Unfortunately, the tyranny of the urgent can cause us to miss the truly important things we need to be dealing with. I think this is one of the most challenging aspects of modern leadership. The key for leaders is to remain focused on what is truly important and to continually remind others to “keep the main thing the main thing.”

My interviewee this week, Dr. David Shaw, vice president for research and economic development at Mississippi State University, has done a great job of keeping perspective on what is truly important and has had a very positive impact on the university and the state.

Shaw grew up on a family farm in rural Oklahoma. While at Cameron University, his life took a turn as he was originally planning to return to the family farm after graduation. However, as a newlywed he realized that the family farm might not adequately support his family, and with the encouragement of one of his professors he

Up Close With ... Dr. David Shaw Title: Vice president for research and economic development, Mississippi State University Favorite Books: Bible; Crucial Conversations (Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, Switzler); The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey); “I also enjoy reading biographies of great leaders.”

First Job: “I grew up on a family farm and had many responsibilities. I remember one of my tasks was to carry irrigation pipes around the farm.”

Proudest Moment as a Leader: “I enjoy seeing former students who have gone on to success in life.

One recent example is Dr. Al Rankins, who was recently named President of Alcorn State University.”

Hobbies/Interests: Bird hunting

decided to pursue post-graduate education in agriculture. Shaw went on to get his master’s degree and Ph.D. from Oklahoma State University.

After completing his studies, Shaw took a

“Never let the urgent take priority over the important.”

teaching and research position with Mississippi State and has now been there almost 30 years. Shaw has been involved in cuttingedge research including remote sensing technology. In 1998, the school received a $25-million grant from NASA to further this research, and Shaw was named director of the Remote Sensing Technologies Center. In 2002, he was appointed director of the Geosystems Research Institute, which focused on the spatial technology visualization of complex datasets and computational modeling in agriculture, forestry, water resources, climate, weather and oceanography.

In 2009, Shaw was asked to serve in his current position of vice president for research and economic development where he acts as chief research officer for the university.

One of the key points Shaw emphasizes as a leader is to “never let the urgent take priority over the important.” He believes

in creating clarity about what is truly important and making sure team members are aligned around the real priorities. He also believes in finding the best talent and letting them Martin Willoughby operate in a zone where their passion, talent, and responsibilities intersect. He understands that when people are allowed to spend most of their time in this zone they will be truly happy and highly productive. As a man of faith, Shaw has drawn inspiration from studying the great (and not so great leaders) in the Bible. In particular, he has been reflecting on the servant leadership that Jesus modeled.

During his time at MSU, the school has proven to be a national leader on many fronts. Dr. Shaw emphasized that there are exciting things happening all over the campus. In particular, he noted the national reputation that the university has developed in agriculture, engineering, and cyber security. In his role, he also has the opportunity to work with business and political leaders to create opportunities for economic growth in the state. He shared, “It is part of the DNA to be involved in economic development and be a positive change agent for the state.” Along with many other fine institutions and leaders in the state, Mississippi State and Dr. Shaw are doing many exciting things to advance the state of Mississippi and improve the economic prospects for the future.

Martin Willoughby is a business consultant and regular contributing columnist for the Mississippi Business Journal. He serves as Chief Operating Officer of Butler Snow Advisory Services, LLC and can be reached at martin.willoughby@ butlersnow.com.

A native son writes movingly about Detroit’s downfall

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» Detroit: An American Autopsy

By Charlie LeDuff Published by Penguin Books $17.00 softback

he fascinating story of Detroit’s rise and subsequent fall — and whatever the future holds for the city and its beleaguered residents — is something we’ll likely be analyzing for years to come.

It’s stunning, really, when you think about the fact that at one point Detroit was the nation’s richest big city, and is now its poorest. It leads the country in illiteracy and high-school dropouts, and half the adults living there have no consistent job. The population of Detroit topped out at 1.86 million in 1950. It now hovers at around 700,000 residents, which means Detroit’s population now is about where it was in 1910, before the city’s automobile boom.

Along with assembly lines producing American-made cars, we can also thank the Motor City for innovations such as the refrigerator, home ownership, credit, and the cement road. Detroit, for a time, appeared to be the most American of cities, drawing in flocks of blue-collar workers from across the country, promising them good jobs and an ever-better way of life.

Now, entire swaths of the city sit abandoned, and wild animals like coyotes are reclaiming their former homes amidst the apocalyptic scenery.

Journalist Charlie LeDuff, who was born and raised in Detroit, returned with his family to the city in 2008. He’d worked for The New York Times and lived in Los Angeles for a while after that, but felt that inexorable pull home. His book is a heartbreaking, brash, honest, and true account of both Detroit’s woes as well as his own family’s. It’s a curious mix of memoir and reporting, sliding easily back and forth between the general and the specific.

LeDuff chronicles examples of the city’s downfall that have

to be read to be believed – and this was before the city’s current status as officially bankrupt. It’s hard to imagine how things could be worse now.

Arson has become literal entertainment, with bored, broke, strung-out residents setting abandoned properties ablaze just for kicks. The firefighters tasked with putting them out have holes in their boots, busted hoses, and broken-down trucks.

There’s simply no money for new equipment.

In the city’s morgue, the unclaimed dead pile up into the hundreds, because their relatives can’t afford to bury them.

And on the streets, dead bodies sometimes stay out for days, with repeated calls to 911 going unanswered. Cops are overworked, underpaid, and understaffed.

LeDuff’s book is bleak in many ways, but he also showcases and honors the many good people in Detroit fighting to do the right thing. Their stories deserve to be heard.

— LouAnn Lofton, mbj@msbusiness.com

18 I Mississippi Business Journal I May 23 2014 THE SPIN CYCLE

Crisis management at your fingertips – new app launched

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risis management is coming to a smartphone near you.

Ketchum – a leading global PR agency – has launched Mobile RepProtect, an iOS and Android app that the firm hopes will give sweaty-palmed clients the ability to conquer any would-be PR nightmare from the comfort of their own smart phone or tablet.

The idea, says Ketchum senior vice president James Donnelly, is that clients will have their customized crisis plan at their fingertips, should corporate catastrophe strike.

That would mean better coordination when it comes to managing reputation.

Take a hotel chain, for instance. The company’s executives could be holed up in a different city, but if disaster happens in a particular hotel, the general manager there could act on the early steps right from his phone — alerting the company higher-ups, dealing with guests, and even dispersing legal department-approved statements to inquiring reporters. So, it allows for companies to take an even more proactive approach to reputation management.

Our agency – Deane | Smith – has at least a dozen clients that could benefit from an app like this, but it’s just an initial step, no substitute for a full-fledged crisis communications campaign. Nothing replaces a well-planned, comprehensive, strategic approach to help put your best face forward when disaster strikes. This kind of technology, while an innovative tool to add to the crisis management toolbox, isn’t an answer for crisis-prone brands or people, without consulting an agency to guide you through complex action plans. Sorry, Donald Sterling, this probably can’t help you!

And “apping” a company’s crisis plan is just a natural progression, according to Donnelly. Clients would be better off using a streamlined app than furiously scrolling through a 70-page PDF on their phone.

And because many people use their personal phones for work, the password-protected app could quickly revoke access should an individual leave the company.

“Five years ago we used to say you shouldn’t just have your plan in a binder because nobody carries around binders. You should have it in your laptop,” Mr. Donnelly said.

“Well guess what? Nobody is carrying around laptops anymore.”

So the app – or crisis management plans – on your smart phone or tablet, can always be with you if, and when, disaster strikes.

How Journalists Use Social Media to Report the News A new report from the Indiana University School of Journalism shows how U.S. journalists are increasingly using social media to report the news. Based on online interviews with 1,080 U.S. journalists conducted during the fall of 2013, the new report updates previous findings and adds new ones concerning the role of social media in journalism.

Key Findings: » 78 percent of U.S. journalists check social media for breaking news. » 56.2 percent use it to find additional information about a topic. » 54.1 percent use social media to find sources for stories. » 40 percent of U.S. journalists said that social media are very important to their work. » 34.6 percent spent between 30 to 60 minutes every day on social networking sites. » 53.8 percent regularly use microblogs such as Twitter for gathering information and reporting their stories. » 23.6 percent visit blogs maintained by other journalists. » 22.2 percent use Wikipedia. » 20.2 percent use YouTube.

More than 80 percent say that social media does help to promote their work. Almost 70 percent say because of social media they are more engaged with their audiences.

Sixty two percent say that social media allows them to do faster reporting of news.

The Need for Digital and Visual Media Training Many U.S. journalists (68.1 percent) said that they would like additional training to cope with new job expectations. The largest group (30.5 percent) sought video shooting and editing skills, followed by 28.4 percent who wanted skills to improve social media engagement. The Spin Cycle thinks PR practitioners should follow suit! This lack of skill in the newsroom opens the door to providing visual content with your news stories.

Digital skills and visual content training are some of the most valuable skills to master, whether you are a journalist or a PR pro.

breaking news.

Citing a “sea of bloated mid-level copy,” AP Managing Editor for U.S. News Brian Carovillano has instructed fellow editors at the wire service to limit most “daily, bylined digest stories” to a length of between 300 and 500 words. Top stories from each state, Carovillano directed, should hit the 500 to 700-word range, and the “top global stories” may exceed 700 words but must still be “tightly written and edited.”

Carovillano’s memo itself references the driving force behind the limits: “Our members do not have the resources to trim the excess to fit shrinking news holes,” notes the editor.

Paul Colford, a spokesman for AP, notes that a “common concern” among AP members and subscribers is that stories are too long. In recent months, says Colford, the wire service has been trimming stories in Europe and the outcome has been “successful.”

For context, consider the AP produces 2,000 stories per day on average. The stories affected by the Carovillano memo cover the majority of pieces produced for both state and global audiences, says Colford.

However, those constraints don’t apply to the royalty in AP’s investigative division, who aren’t bound by the directive.

There are 1,400 daily U.S. newspapers that make up the AP cooperative, not to mention a number of radio stations, TV stations and web-based news properties such as Yahoo and MSN. Carovillano urged AP staff to take the following steps to implement brevity in our digital world: » The reporter and editor should have a discussion about the appropriate length of stories at the outset of reporting — and stick to it. » Consider using alternative story forms either to break out details from longer stories, or in lieu of a traditional text story.

There are pitfalls to this new journalistic edict, however. Sticking to a predetermined story length short shrifts the whole idea of reporting — namely, that you discover various wrinkles that a full and comprehensive report demands.

Pleas for extra space, though, may not find a receptive audience: “We will be closely monitoring story lengths across state and national lines to make sure we are all living up to this commitment,” writes Carovillano in his memo.

Associated Press Editor Issues Edict To Shorten Stories One of the pillars of journalism – the Associated Press – is shorting its stories for a rapidly changing digital audience that craves Golden Mic | Barbara Walters Signs Off After brevity as much as getting the scoop on 50 Years

Barbara Walters – revered by generations as THE interviewer of the popular, political, presidential and iconic – has signed off after 50 years on camera.

Through five decades Todd Smith in television, the woman who started her career on camera as a hawker for Alpo dog food and went on to cross the Bay of Pigs with Fidel Castro and to interview every American president (and first lady) since Richard M. Nixon is retiring.

As the sun sets on Ms. Walters’s career, it is also setting on the form of television news she perfected and personified: the intimate sit-down with a world leader, the weepy celebrity confessional, the jailhouse interview — the “big get.” In her final weeks on the air, when the disgraced Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was the man of the hour, Walters interviewed his friend V. Stiviano. About seven million people tuned in. Stiviano is no Monica Lewinsky (who drew an audience of 50 million when her interview ran during the Clinton presidency), but the disparity in ratings says as much about the changed media landscape as it does about the interviewees’ star power.

Walters didn’t invent TV’s celebrity interview. That distinction belongs to Edward R. Murrow and his 1950s show, “Person to Person.” But Walters turned the celebrity profile into a kind of art form. She was unthreatening enough to land the big names, but probing enough to retain her journalistic credibility. For that, and everything you brought into our living rooms across the airwaves and throughout the ages, you take the Golden mic – although we all know, and hope, not for the last time.

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 fullservice 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.

Clients would be better off using a streamlined app than furiously scrolling through a 70-page PDF on their phone.

SALES MOVES

May 23, 2014

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Mississippi Business Journal

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19

» JEFFREY GITOMER

Tough sales issues, and not so tough (but not so easy) answers

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he 3.5 biggest issues facing salespeople today are: 1. Price integrity.

2. Customer loyalty.

3. Fighting hungry competition.

3.5 Quality, attitude, and belief of the salesperson.

These issues manifest themselves in BOTH lost sales that you could have won and lost profits that you could have earned.

Tough questions: • What are you doing to fight price pressures?

• What is your sales team doing this year to dominate the market and the competition?

• What is the perceived difference between you and the competition?

• What are you doing to create real value for customers and prospects in your sales presentation?

• What are you doing to build more value-driven, loyal relationships?

And the age-old question: • Where’s the beef? (AKA: Where’s the proof YOU are the best buy?)

The key success answers lie in: 1. Value offered by the salesperson vs. value perceived by the customer. Ask yourself: What am I doing to TRANSFER my value message so the cus-

MSTM

tomer receives it AND believes it to be valuable?

2. Reputation of the product, the company, AND the salesperson. Ask yourself: What is my TOTAL reputation and how do I continue to build it?

3. Proof of product, service, value, quality, and outcome – social and video testimonials. Ask yourself: How am I using “voice of customer” as both social proof and video proof to win customer confidence and sales?

4. Depth of customer relationships, both with the salesperson and the company. Do they just “like me” and still ask me to bid or quote, or do they just call and order? Ask yourself: Am I still bidding on business, and waiting to be told I won?

5. On-going, on-demand weekly training and reinforcement to both help and support salespeople in the field or on the phone. Real-world, webbased training available on all mobile platforms.

Go to www.gitomerVT for an amazing example.

Ask yourself: What type of training am I offering that actually HELPS my team improve and make more sales?

6. Sales tool support. Easy answer: www.aceofsales.com – this program is a differentiator and a difference maker. Besides amazing emails and email magazines, Ace of Sales offers hundreds of graphics and optional scripted emails and subject lines for

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workplace,” he said.

Some of the state’s largest private employers such as Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula partnered with education leaders in developing the curriculum for the new program. Many craftspeople at industries such as Ingalls Shipbuilding earn beginning salaries higher than the average starting salary of a four-year, liberal arts graduate.

MEC Senior Vice President of Foundations Vickie Powell said one of the things their Tech Master Council wanted to integrate into the program was geometry.

“That is mandatory of those students we recognize with the Tech Master medallion,” Powell said.

“They also have to complete community service hours. We are looking not only at academics, but also at good citizenship. The first year, it was 20 hours of community service and next year it will be 40 hours.”

Additional requirements include: » A minimum of 18 ACT composite score (overall score) or a Minimum 36 ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery Test). » 2.5 high school GPA. » 95 percent school attendance during high

every salesperson. Ask yourself: Do my emails look exactly the same as my competition? Why have I not tried Ace of Sales?

7. Leadership support. Encourage and GO WITH your salespeople on sales calls. Coach them; don’t manage them. Don’t just lead by example; set the standard. Ask yourself: What would it take to become known as the BEST place to work in the city – and become known as the BEST boss to work for?

Create real attraction!

7.5 Google in and Google out. You (and everyone on your team) should Google the customer and their company to do research before the meeting.

HINT: The customer is Googling you as well. Ask yourself: How is my online presence and reputation affecting sales?

MAJOR CLUE: It’s not just one or a few of these answers, it’s ALL of them.

MAJOR CLUE: These answers don’t just happen.

You make a plan to make them happen, and then execute the plan.

MAJOR CLUE: The quality of salespeople and willingness of management to help and support are more than half of the answers.

To gain a better understanding of what CAN be done, here are the sales psychologies behind the strategies and answers:

school years. » No out-of school suspension. » Must attain a passing score, as established by the Mississippi Department of Education, on the Mississippi Career Planning and Assessment System (CPAS2), or a passing score on an MDE approved industry certification assessment.

MSTM students must complete any remaining state-mandated high school graduation requirements.

Dual credit courses are acceptable.

Powell said the high schools involved with the pilot program were very pleased with its success.

“We are developing the future workforce of the entire state, and employers want students who are workforce and career ready,” she said.

“Well-paying jobs require effective communication skills, solid basic math skills and the ability to think creatively and carry out multiple tasks. Becoming a MSTM will help students qualify for college, military and skilled jobs with benefits in today’s competitive job market.”

Powell said the Tech Master program will not only create more educational and workforce opportunities for skilled students, but also acknowledge the critical role those who want to pursue the vocational career tech field play in the state’s workforce.

The MSTM program is managed by the Public Education Forum of Mississippi.

EIGHT

• The first sale that’s made is the salesperson. If you don’t sell yourself, your product or service has NO chance.

• The attitude and belief of the salesperson directly affect the customer’s deciJeffrey Gitomer sion to buy.

• People don’t like to be sold, but they love to buy.

Stop selling. Start finding motives to buy.

• All things being equal, people want to do business with their friends. All things being not quite so equal, people still want to do business with their friends.

• People buy for their reasons, not yours. Find out their reasons first, and get them to buy based on that.

• The old way of selling doesn’t work any more.

Got issues? Or got answers?

The difference is your sales success and your profit.

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

Continued from Page 11

things in the new health care law,” Arcemont said. “Trying to keep up with everything will be a nightmare. We want to be able to do everything completely within our software.”

Such customization for their customers is what makes Arc Technologies so successful in helping them comply with all of the rules and guidelines set by government agencies. “We like our software to be the hub for the employee life cycle,” Arcemont said. “Each customer has unique requirements and we LET’S DEAL! customize the software for each one, and they love it.”

Lease expiring?

The company staff started out Need new space? small and has remained that way.

Better Location?

“Clark was drumming up all 2400sf-9200sf the sales and I would do the Office/Retail demos,” Arcemont said of the 42,000 ADT early days. “We had a couple of Lakeland Dr. contract programmers.”

Dogwood area, Today, with 900 locations Flowood, MS using their software, he said, Also 1 acre “Rick Brohaugh handles all the Commercial at sales and demos and I do all the the entrance to programming,” he said. They also have two contract programMarket Street. mers helping out.

Thomas (601)624-1321