MBJ_May26_2017

COLUMN: The powerless power of attorney — Page 8 GROCERY

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May 26, 2017 • Vo. 39. No. 21 • 24 pages

GOVERNMENT

Cash & Carry opening ends South Jackson ‘food desert’

FORESTRY COMMISSION CUTS 75 JOBS

— Page 2

By JACK WEATHERLY jack.weatherly@msbusiness.com

MBJ FOCUS

Economic Development {Section begins P12}

» Columbia manufacturer showing the proper part is vital in the drilling industry » Students hit the road early

{The Lists P17} » Highest Paid Occupations » Lowest Paid Occupations

{P4}

» Former USO Club houses unique African American Military History Museum

Courtesy of Arlington Properties/MBJ

The two-level saltwater pool in the south courtyard is one of the amenities of The District Lofts.

Pumping life into District Lofts complex — Page 10

The Mississippi Forestry Commission will eliminate 75 positions July 1 – two-thirds of which are firefighting jobs – due to a $2.67 million, or 16 percent, cut in its budget.

The reduction is because of the state’s drop in revenue, which has forced government cuts across the board.

State Forester Charlie Morgan said in a release that “preserving the Mississippi Forestry Commission’s statutorily mandated responsibility to protect forestland, lives and homes from wildfire is our top priority. After much deliberation, the difficult decision was made to consolidate and reorganize districts, leaving as many wildland firefighting ‘boots on the ground’ in place as possible.”

Starting July 1, the commission will consolidate its seven districts into four.

Forestry was the state’s second-largest source of agricultural income in 2016, bringing an estimated $1.4 billion of the Mississippi total of $7.6 billion. About 75 percent of the state’s forestland is privately owned.

The cutback comes at a time when there has been a rise in wildfires. In See FORESTRY, Page 8

http://msbusiness.com/events/lif/

2 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q May 26, 2017 GROCERY

Cash & Carry opening ends South Jackson ‘food desert’ » New market occupies store on Terry Road Kroger vacated

By TED CARTER mbj@msbusiness.com Erasing even a single Mississippi “food desert” is a cause for celebration, say supporters of a multi-year effort to turn back the spread of communities lacking any fresh-food options.

So, no surprise lots of smiles and applause accompanied the grand opening earlier this month of Cash & Carry Fresh Food Market at 3520 Terry Road in an expansive stand-alone building Kroger vacated nearly two years ago. Kroger’s departure left residents in a several-mile radius with no place to buy fresh food, especially vegetables and other produce.

Speaking at the store opening ceremony, Ward 4 City Council member De’Keither Stamps emphasized eliminating the food desert in South Jackson shows Jacksonians can “go all-in together.”

“There is nothing wrong with Jackson that can’t be fixed by the folks in Jackson,” Stamps said. “We can save ourselves.”

The task ahead, he said, is to support store owners Greg Price and his brother Chester in making the new Cash & Carry Fresh Food Market a success. “We can’t afford for Mr. Price” and his brother “to fail.”

If they do, Stamps warned, “Other people who would like to go all-in for Jackson, who have the means to go all-in for Jackson, will not go all-in for Jackson.”

Stamps also emphasized that “every dollar you spend here goes back into” the pockets of someone in Jackson.

Greg and Chester Price bought the 50,000-square-foot former Kroger building for an undisclosed price. The purchase included $1.5 million in loans and $250,000 in private investment.

The opportunity to own the building influenced the decision to close the Cash & Carry store at 1204 W. Capitol St. in a building Price had rented since 2005.

Price voiced surprise that the Terry Road area became an urban food desert in the first place. “We’re now in a perfect location,” he said.

About 10,000 cars travel daily through the Terry and Cooper roads intersection at which his new store is situated, Price said. That compared to about 2,000 at the former location on Capitol Street, he added.

High traffic volume or not, the neighborhood was without access to a food market, Price said. “Indeed, this was a food desert,” he added, and noted the closest fresh food retailer was about 10 miles south to Byram or about eight miles north to midtown Jackson.

“We’re able to fill that void,” he said of the store he will own jointly with Chester Price, a retired Army lieutenant colonel.

While fresh produce will account for a large portion of the store’s sales, Greg Price also expects to see strong sales from a portion of the store set aside for large-volume food offerings and institutional supplies other businesses will buy.

“I’d say 25 percent of our customers are small-business owners who can shop here and get a better buy here for their money than from a distributor. When you buy from a distributor, they require you order $500 minimum per trip.”

It took a good bit of work and money to get the former Kroger building ready for its recent opening, according to Price.

Water damage was extensive, he noted.

“We had to pretty much replace the roof,” Price said. “Because it had been sitting here for two years, we had to replace a lot of the tiles on the floor and ceiling as well.”

Price received $1.5 million in financing from Jackson-based Hope Federal Credit Union, said Ed Sivak, chief policy and communications officer. “We’re really excited about this project,” he said.

To make the loan, Hope tapped $1 million in low-cost capital from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Community Development Financial Institutions’ Heathy Food Financing Initiative. The initiative, which includes the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Health and Human Services, helps to expand access to nutritious food in under-served and distressed communities. The effort includes developing and equipping grocery stores, small retailers, corner stores and farmers’ markets.

In addition to $1 million form the Treasury Department food program, the Cash and Carry Fresh Food Market received a $250,00 Hope Federal Credit loan and another $250,000 in private money.

“We’re particularly proud of our investment in Jackson. It is right in our back yard,” Sivak said, and noted Hope has a credit union nearby at Terry Road and University Avenue.

Special to the MBJ

Fresh produce is a mainstay of the newly opened Cash & Carry Fresh Food Market.

In addition to $1 million form the Treasury Department food program, the Cash and Carry Fresh Food Market received a $250,00 Hope Federal Credit loan and another $250,000 in private money.

May 26, 2017

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Mississippi Business Journal

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HEALTH CARE

Medical board severs ties with executive director John Hall

By JACK WEATHERLY jack.weatherly@msbusiness.com

The Mississippi Board of Medical Licensure decided not to renew its contract with Dr. John Hall, its executive director, on May 18,, less than a year after Hall brought his aggressive style to bear on physicians’ sexual behavior with patients.

“I’d like to think I did some good,” Hall said in an interview on Saturday. “We did more disciplinary action in the first 90 days I was here than [Dr. H.] Vann Craig did in 10 years” in that position, he said.

In those three months, about a half-dozen doctors surrendered their licenses and another half-dozen licenses were indefinitely suspended.

Hall said he was not “the least bit surprised” by his termination.

Dr. Charles Miles, board president, said on Saturday that the termination is a personnel matter and he is limited in what he can say.

“Let me just say that I just have the utmost respect for John Hall. John and I are friends and remain so.”

“It just wasn’t working out. This was a trial year and John knew that.” Hall will be in his position till June 30, when his contract expires, Miles said. “It just wasn’t a good match,” Miles said.

Hall favored legislation to make sexual behavior between physician and patient punishable as a felony.

House Bill 340 got nowhere in the Legislature this year.

Members of the board made no public statements about the measure and during meetings expressed misgivings about Hall’s approach.

Miles reiterated his opinion of Hall’s credentials, saying he was “head and shoulders above” a field of about a half-dozen.

However, some board members were reluctant to sign

on to a new direction.

Hall’s arrival last year followed criticism of the board’s website, which Consumer Reports in April 2016 ranked it 65th among all such sites.

Months later, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said in a series of articles based on a yearlong investigation that Mississippi ranked 51st among states and the District of Columbia in patient protection Hall from abusive physicians.

An article published Nov. 28 by the Mississippi Business Journal brought that report to light. Hall said in an interview with the MBJ for that article that he had already been working with lawmakers to develop a bill to deal with the matter.

Hall, who also has a law degree and a master of business administration degree, contended in the article that “consent” by a patient is “impossible,” because of what he calls an “insurmountable power barrier.”

Dr. S. Randall Easterling was critical of the articles by the Atlanta newspaper.

Hall said in an interview Dec. 8 that he has been “waistdeep” in the issue for a decade, and so his effort in working with legislators was not at all influenced by the newspaper’s reports.

Easterling said at a committee meeting on that “we’re in a different era,” where the emphasis is on punishing physicians with an impairment, whether sexual or substance abuse.

At one point in the past, the Mississippi board was ranked tops because of its punitive emphasis, Easterling said. Now it’s being downgraded because of its emphasis on rehabilitation, he said.

Miles said Hall has been instrumental in streamlining the medical licensure process in his short tenure.

LEGISLATURE

BRYANT: NO LOTTERY IN SPECIAL SESSION; BUDGET WILL BE FOCUS Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant says he won’t ask lawmakers to consider a lottery during a special session next month.

The session will focus on money, Bryant told The Clarion-Ledger on Tuesday. The session begins June 5, and the governor tells which issues they may consider.

Legislators need to write budgets for the attorney general’s office and the Department of Transportation for the year that begins July 1.

Bryant, a Republican, said he might also ask them to consider “budget controls” to address credit rating agencies’ concerns about Mississippi’s finances. He said proposals are being developed and he’s not ready to reveal details.

“I’m very serious about the ratings bureaus and doing whatever we can to improve the budget situation,” Bryant said. “We are working on some language now — not to the point I can really share it.... But there are a few things the ratings bureaus have brought forward that we could address.... Hopefully we can strengthen some controls on the budget, such as more easily identifying one-time money.”

During the regular session that ended in late March, legislators could not agree on a long-term funding plan for highways and bridges. Bryant said that will be on the special session agenda only if House and Senate leaders agree on a plan before then.

State tax collections have fallen short of expectations for most months the past year and a half. Bryant asked lawmakers earlier this year to consider creating a lottery as a way to generate money, but that idea — like most lottery proposals the past two decades — died with little debate. Mississippi is one of six states without a lottery.

Whereas the medical board did not openly oppose or support the 2017 measure dealing with physicians’ sexual behavior, it sought to put rules in place on another issue, telemedicine, by attempting to go through the Secretary of State’s office to require that providers have a video component and met other stipulations.

However, a leading provider of telemedicine, Teladoc Inc. demanded that the board provide an economic impact statement in its proposed rules changes. The board to agree to a stay of implementation.

The medical board never provided the impact statement. Meantime, Teladoc succeeded in getting a bill easily passed in the House to make the visual component optional. The measure stalled in the House and was not reintroduced in the 2017 session,.

The board’s nine voting members are all Mississippi licensed medical doctors and members of the Mississippi Medical Association, which strongly opposed the Teladoc-supported measure.

In March, the medical board disciplined a physician for unlawfully prescribing amphetamines for weight loss to a woman with whom he had an ongoing sexual relationship.

The medical license of Dr. Bret A. Boes, a Meridian physician, was suspended — but stayed for at least five years, as long as he met a long list of conditions.

The penalty in such cases would be much harsher if House Bill 340 had not died in committee.

Hall said he has no immediate plans, though he might go back into consulting.

Hall is paid $250,000 a year as director, which he says is half of what he was paid as chief clinical officer for Executive Health Resources, a research division of Optum.

He was professor of anesthesia and pediatrics and bioethics and humanities at Blair Batson Children’s Hospital, and chief of anesthesiology at the hospital.

ENERGY

EDUCATION Navy to break ground on solar Mississippi sued over unequal education for black students facility at Mississippi base The U.S. Navy has announced a groundbreaking ceremony for a solar generation facility at a base in Mississippi.

A Navy statement says the project on Naval Air Station Meridian will be commemorated Thursday afternoon.

The Navy, Tennessee Valley Authority, East Mississippi Electric Power Association and Silicon Ranch Corporation have partnered to develop the facility that will generate up to six megawatts of direct current power.

Silicon Ranch will fund, build, own, operate and maintain the facility that will provide power consumed by the base, as well as TVA and EMEPA customers.

It’s expected to be complete in 2018 and will feature roughly 51,000 solar panels covering 38 acres.

Mississippi’s leaders are being sued again over school funding, this time by the Southern Poverty Law Center on behalf of four black public school students.

This lawsuit says Mississippi is failing to meet requirements of the federal law that readmitted the state to the union after the Civil War. That law says the state must never deprive any citizen of the “school rights and privileges” described in the 1868 constitution.

The SPLC argues that Mississippi has repeatedly watered down its constitutional protections for education ever since as part of a white supremacist effort to prevent the education of blacks. The lawsuit asks a judge to force the state to honor the promise of that document, written nearly a century and a half ago.

It’s the second major lawsuit over school funding now pending in Mississippi.

— MBJ Staff & Wire Reports

4 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q May 26, 2017 PINE BELT

Former USO Club houses unique African American Military History Museum

By BECKY GILLETTE Hattiesburg Business Today

At the time that the East Sixth Street United Service Organization (USO) club operated in the 1940s, the military was segregated so there were separate recreational facilities, as well. Eight years ago that USO club was developed as the African American Military History Museum (AAMHM). Today it remains the only USO club of its type in the U.S. still in use and open to the public.

“Our museum is unique,” said Latoya Norman, general manager of the museum, which is operated as a Hattiesburg Convention Commission facility. “The building was an historic World War II USO club for African American servicemen stationed at Camp Shelby who were training for war. We share stories of national and local heroes through 150 years of history. Through the timeline you can see the struggles and learn how African Americans overcame racial barriers. Even during the Korean War, which was the first conflict involving the integrated Army, there was a lot of resistance. It wasn’t until the Vietnam War that we truly saw integration in the military.”

Things were a lot different back when the club was established in 1942. But the museum goes back even further than that, starting with the role of African Americans in the Revolutionary War. While there is a lot of local support for the museum, it also draws a large number of visitors from elsewhere.

“We have tourists from all over the world who come to the museum,” Norman said.

“We have a sign-in book for visitors. Since opening, more than 30,000 people have visited the museum.”

Norman said they also pride themselves on being a museum people of all ages can enjoy. The museum is normally self-guided, but guided tours can be arranged on request.

“What is really unique about our museum is we have a lot of interactive exhibits,” Norman said. “Because it is military history, some people might think it isn’t kid friendly. But we have a lot of school groups that come in, and even pre-schoolers.”

One of the most popular exhibits for children is the Buffalo Soldier, which includes a replica of a life-size horse that children can touch and climb on. Visitors can get a picture of what it was like to be a Buffalo Soldier. Buffalo Soldiers originally were members of the U.S. Army 10th Cavalry Regiment that was formed in 1866 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The term Buf-

Special to the MBJ

The African American Military History Museum teaches children, and adults, about the experience of blacks in the armed forces.

falo Solider eventually came to describe all African American regiments formed in 1866. They were also known as the “Negro Cavalry” by the Native American tribes they fought in the Indian Wars.

“Buffalo Soldiers were famous for their skills riding horses,” Norman said. “Children will remember more about the Buffalo soldiers and the role they played if they can interact with the exhibit.”

In March the museum celebrated the 75th anniversary of the USO club.

“We had a lot of fun activities,” Norman said. “We really wanted to go back to 1940s. Guests were excited about stepping into history. We had live entertainment, 1940s themed food and WWII veterans in attendance.”

The museum was damaged in a tornado in 2013 and was closed for a year. It

reopened in 2014, and a oral history kiosk exhibit in the lobby honoring World War II veterans opened later that year. This oral history exhibit is Norman’s favorite, and the favorite of many of the visitors.

The oral history exhibit also includes the stories of three women who volunteered there during the war.

“Some of these young ladies didn’t realize how instrumental they were in lifting the morale of the troops that came,” Norman said. “It wasn’t until years later that they realized they had played a big part in helping these young soldiers adapt. A lot of men sent to train were teenagers. It was their first time away from home. The USO Club was important to encourage them and let them know there were people supporting them.”

Norman said the USO club was not only

for serviceman, but also for people from the community. After the war, it became a community center. Then, when the C.E. Roy Community Center opened up, school classes were held at the former USO Club for a while.

The USO Club was built by volunteers who donated about 40,000 hours of work.

And volunteers saved the building when it was on a list of buildings to be demolished.

“A group of veterans who knew the historical significance of the building went to our mayor and were able to get building reopened,” Norman said. “Eventually, they established a partnership now known as the African American Military History Museum Committee, which has been the driving force behind making a museum that chronicles and honors African Americans in the military.”

The museum was to hold a roundtable discussion on integrating the U.S. military May 18 at 1 p.m. moderated by the University of Southern Mississippi’s Department of History, Dale Center for the Study of War and Society. Event moderators Dr. Douglas Bristol and Dr. Heather Stur of the Department of History at the University of Southern Mississippi edited the featured book, which is the first to compare the integration of African Americans, Japanese Americans, women, and gay men and lesbians in the U.S. military.

Bristol said the book reveals that, although the military is a conservative institution, it often has been on the forefront of civil rights.

“In the 1940s, the 1970s and the early 2000s, military integration and promotion policies were, in many ways, more progressive than similar efforts in the civilian world,” Bristol said. “At the same time, the book examines the discrimination within the military that led to civil rights reforms, highlighting the role that women and minorities played in fighting discrimination.”

Bristol will discuss how the targeting of black soldiers for harsh punishments and violence from World War II through Vietnam offers a historical perspective for the mass incarceration of black men and for the Black Lives Matter movement. Stur will discuss how deep-seated cultural attitudes about men and women condone the objectification of women’s bodies and aggressive sexual behavior within the military and on college campuses. Both will raise questions about the interplay between the military and civilian society.

For more information about the Department of History and the Dale Center for the Study of War and Society, visit www.usm.edu/history.

Admission to the museum is free. It is open Wednesdays through Fridays from 10 to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon by appointment only, and from noon to 4 p.m.

For more information, call 601-4501942 or visit HattiesburgUSO.com.

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

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MBJPERSPECTIVE May 26, 2017 • www.msbusiness.com • Page 6

OTHER VIEWS

» THE OUTSIDE WORLD

Transportation funding discussions don’t need to wait

Website: www.msbusiness.com May 26, 2017 Volume 39, Number 21

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Entire contents copyrighted © 2017 by Journal Inc. All rights reserved.

ith a special legislative session looming just around the corner, House Speaker Philip Gunn revisited this week his continued push to find solutions to Mississippi’s infrastructure issues.

Speaking to the Mississippi State University Stennis Institute of Government/capitol press corps on Monday, Gunn said discussions are ongoing between the House and Senate to identify possible sources of more revenue for the state’s roads and bridges.

Gunn made a similar presentation to the Tupelo Kiwanis Club earlier this month outlining multiple proposals he says the House has brought forward to get the ball rolling on infrastructure funding.

But Gunn conceded during his presentation Monday that he doesn’t know if an agreement will be reached in time for the issue to be taken up during the special session, which is set to begin June 5.

Gov. Phil Bryant called a special session in late April, saying he would ask legislators to come back to the Capitol to set the final pieces of the state budget for the upcoming fiscal year that begins July 1.

Legislators ended their three-month regular session in late March without passing budgets for the attorney general’s office or the Department of Transportation, as reported by the Associated Press.

Only the governor can call a special session, and he sets the agenda.

Bryant has not yet released the agenda for the upcoming special session, so legislators and state leaders don’t yet know exactly what the priority will be when they arrive at the Capitol on June 5.

When the regular session ended in March, Gunn said at the time the hope was that by the time of the special session, a consensus could be reached on possible sources of additional revenue for transportation.

The Mississippi Economic Council has proposed spending an additional $375 million yearly for what many groups claim is a quickly deteriorating transportation system – both at the local and state levels.

Gunn said proposals made by the House could generate as much as $200 million annually in new revenue for transportation.

Bryant had indicated he might include the lottery for the special session agenda as a source of revenue for transportation if the MEC would endorse the plan, but MEC leaders say they are still studying Bryant’s proposal.

Gunn believes that even if a consensus isn’t reached before the special session that state leaders will continue discussions on possible funding sources.

Mississippi’s crumbling infrastructure of roads and bridges doesn’t seem to be a priority for most state leaders yet, but the issue is one that needs to be handled sooner rather than later.

The conversations of funding sources need to be expatiated with a clear proposal for how to implement and execute a plan to make serious improvements across our state.

» INSIDE MISSISSIPPI

Freddy Joe should not pay taxes until Donny Joe does

I

t’s time for Mississippi taxpayers to stand up to tax dodgers.

It’s time to revolt against the state’s unfair and discriminatory behavior in the collection of taxes on retail sales.

You see, Mississippi law requires residents to pay taxes on all retail sales, except those specifically exempt. But, the state’s arbitrary and selective enforcement of tax collections provides a big loophole for tax dodgers.

Taxation of retail sales takes two forms. “Sales taxes” apply to retail sales of tangible personal property made by vendors within the state. “Use” taxes apply to retail sales of personal property by vendors outside the state for use within the state. Use and sales tax rates are the same.

Here’s how that works correctly.

Freddy Joe goes downtown and buys a new car. The car dealer collects 5 percent sales tax. Donny Joe goes out-ofstate and buys a car. When he comes home and gets his car tag, the tax collector collects 5 percent use tax.

Here’s where it becomes unfair and discriminatory. Freddy Joe goes downtown and buys a lamp. The store col-

Bill Crawford

lects 7 percent sale tax. Donny Joe, who has access to the Internet, dodges taxes by purchasing the lamp from an out-of-state, online vendor.

This can happen because a U.S. Supreme Court ruling prohibits the State from forcing the out-of-state vendor to collect and remit use taxes.

However, this does not excuse Donny Joe from paying, or the State from collecting, the taxes.

Unnoticed by most, in 2012 Mississippi took a half step to correct this problem by adding a line on its personal income tax return requiring taxpayers to self-report and pay use taxes.

As a result, Donny Joe should self-report and pay use taxes on his lamp purchase.

Unfortunately for honest taxpayers, the state has not promoted or enforced this provision, even though willfully filing a fraudulent tax return is a crime.

Meanwhile, the number of tax dodgers grows exponentially as Internet sales take over much of the retail marketplace.

With Americans for Prosperity and See CRAWFORD, Page 7

— Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal

PERSPECTIVE

May 26, 2017 I Mississippi Business Journal

» RICKY NOBILE

CRAWFORD

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7

Continued from Page 6

other anti-tax groups doing all they can to coddle use tax dodgers, it appears the State will allow its discriminatory collection behavior to continue. This will only change when honest taxpayers stand-up and demand change.

It’s time. As more and more Donny Joes use the Internet to dodge taxes, the unfair burden on the Freddy Joes to fund government escalates. Sales taxes comprise 38 percent of general fund revenues, use taxes 4 percent.

There are practical steps the state can take to enforce collections. These include prosecuting tax dodgers who audits show filed fraudulent tax returns, making tax preparers culpable if they help prepare false tax returns, and providing a safe harbor tax payment for residents who make limited Internet purchases.

If the State fails to take the next step to enforce collections, taxpayers should seek a court injunction to stop all retail sales tax collections until an equitable collection process is put in place. Poor, elderly, and disabled taxpayers without Internet access or the credit mechanisms required for Internet purchases would be classes most likely to succeed.

Freddy Joe should not pay until Donny Joe does.

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

»UNDER THE CAPITOL DOME

Can lawmakers ignore law? AG says no

F

ew political observers think former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove has much chance of winning his lawsuit trying to force the Legislature to spend the full amount demanded by Mississippi’s school funding formula.

It’s a heavy lift to persuade a generally conservative state Supreme Court to order lawmakers to spend hundreds of millions more.

But when the attorney general’s office stands up in front of justices and says legislators aren’t bound to obey laws that they themselves passed, maybe Musgrove’s chances get a little better.

That’s one takeaway from last week’s oral argument before the high court on the lawsuit brought by 21 school districts.

The districts want judges to order the state to pay them $236 million that the districts say they were shorted in budget years 2010 through 2015 when lawmakers didn’t fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education Program formula.

But beyond that is another $1.4 billion that other school districts could seek if the plaintiffs win their case. Plus, the districts want judges to order the Legislature to never underfund the formula again. That would cost next year’s state budget more than $200 million above the $2.2 billion Mississippi will already spend.

The Attorney General’s Office won the case in Hinds County Chancery Court in part by arguing that another passage in the law contemplates years when lawmakers will appropriate less than the amount demanded by the formula.

That’s a cleaner way out for justices, who could say the 2006 law requiring full funding turns out to be less than airtight, but that the Legislature isn’t violating it.

The state’s written brief included that argument, but Assistant Attorney General Justin Matheny barely mentioned it Wednesday. Instead, he told justices that not only are legislators free to ignore MAEP, but that legislators may also turn

a blind eye to other laws, instead of amending them.

For example, Matheny said lawmakers were free to ignore a law that requires them to budget only 98 percent of projected revenues. Lawmakers have frequently amended that law to allow themselves to spend more on a year-by-year basis, but have never ignored it.

“That may be good housekeeping, and that may be good in terms of fiscal planning, but the Legislature doesn’t have to go in there and do that in order to be able to exercise its appropriations discretion,” Matheny said.

At one point, Matheny told Justice Josiah Coleman that lawmakers don’t need a continuing funding formula at all, but could parcel out money in yearly appropriations bills. That seemed to contradict mandates in the state constitution saying lawmakers must provide for schools in general law, and that such legislation can’t be “engrafted” onto appropriations bills.

Matheny also implied that the Mississippi Constitution requires some sort of minimum funding amount, but that shorting the funding formula wasn’t severe enough to trigger a constitutional violation.

“We’re not talking about some year when the Legislature has entirely failed to appropriate any money for educational funding,” he said.

That’s significant because constitutional passage that requires support of schools says that support is “upon such Jeff Amy conditions and limitations as the Legislature may prescribe.” Supporters of the unsuccessful 2015 state constitutional amendment aimed at requiring full funding believed the clause would be fatal to any state court challenge seeking more money, motivating

Assistant Attorney General Justin Matheny told Justice Josiah Coleman that lawmakers don’t need a continuing funding formula at all, but could parcel out money in yearly appropriations bills. That seemed to contradict mandates in the state constitution saying lawmakers must provide for schools in general law, and that such legislation can’t be “engrafted” onto appropriations bills. part of their efforts behind Initiative 42.

All this may not matter in the end. Justices seemed receptive to the idea that it wasn’t their role to tell the legislative branch what to do, meaning they could rule for the state to preserve the separation of powers. But after Wednesday, that outcome seems a little less certain.

Jeff Amy covers the Mississippi legislature for the Associated Press.

8 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q May 26, 2017 COMMERCIAL FINANCE 701

The powerless power of attorney

T

he long-awaited closing date on the $21.5million commercial construction loan is finally here. Construction projects involve numerous moving parts. By the time a loan closing occurs, the out-of-pocket developer on the project awaits a hefty advance.

The borrower, a Mississippi limited liability company, has two members - one of whom serves as the managing member. The managing member is present and ready to sign the risible stack of loan documents, certificates, LLC minutes, and guaranties.

To the frustration and surprise of the lender and lender’s counsel, the other member/guarantor is not in attendance. The missing member/guarantor, it turns out, is elk hunting. The managing member confidently produces a durable power of attorney prepared by a capable attorney, signed just last week in blue ink by the huntsman, and acknowledged by a state-licensed notary public. The managing member declares the power of attorney authorizes him to sign LLC resolutions and the guaranty on behalf of the absentee member/guarantor.

Is this transaction going to close and fund on time? Not likely.

What is a Power of Attorney? A power of attorney (POA) is a legal instrument by which a person (the principal) grants another person or entity (the agent), the power to act on behalf of the Principal for stated purposes. POAs come in many forms and vary in terms of duration and ambit. The Agent is commonly referred to as an “attorney-in-fact” (though the Agent need not be a licensed attorney).

POAs have their usefulness. Estate planning attorneys routinely prepare various types of POAs, including durable general powers of attorney and supplemental healthcare powers of attorney. These are important and necessary family documents, which provide a “low-cost, flexible, and private form of surrogate decision making” for “incapacity and planning as well as convenience.”

(Uniform law commission, power of attorney summary). In commercial transactions, however, the POA is almost worthless.

Uniform Power of Attorney Act. You might reasonably ask: “Doesn’t the Uniform Power of Attorney Act require banks and insurance companies to accept POAs?” The UPOAA, a comprehensive 2006 model act recommended by the Uniform Law Commission, includes language obliging businesses (such as banks and insurance companies) to accept POAs. The UPOAA is, however, a consumer-oriented law with limited application to commercial transactions. Re-

FORESTRY Continued from, Page 1

fiscal 2016, 31,370 acres of forestland were struck by wildfires, compared with 25,870 acres the previous year and 17,567 acres in fiscal 2014, according to the commission.

And it comes after a reduction in force of 25 last year, all of whom were arson investigators and equipment managers, according to Assistant State Forester Russell Bozeman. Five vacant positions were not filled,

gardless, Mississippi and 28 other states have not yet adopted the UPOAA. So what’s wrong with a POA in a Commercial Transaction?

In commercial transactions, the lawyers seek to minimize risk. Checklist items include making sure all entities exist, their actions are authorized, corporate and LLC formalities have been met, transaction documents are fully and properly executed, and the various legal instruments are enforceable.

The use of a POA in a commercial transaction introduces unnecessary risk. In the first instance, no one can safely conclude by looking at a POA if it was validly executed.

Second, to determine if the POA even purports to authorize a person to take the contemplated actions, someone must scrutinize the multi-page document. Third, a factual question exists as to whether the POA has been subsequently revoked either by act of the principal or operation of law. Fourth, a legal question exists as to whether the POA satisfies the laws of the relevant jurisdiction. Just as examples of varying laws, in some states the POA must follow a statutory form or include statutory language.

The Mississippi Supreme Court had occasion to address many of these issues and others in Kountouris v. Varvaris, 476 So. 2d 599 (1985). While the nine-page opinion makes for an interesting read of facts and law, the overriding takeaway suggests that parties desiring to avoid litigation should have principals execute documents.

A legal opinion is also unlikely to save the day. In many transactions, borrower’s counsel solely represents the borrower entity and does NOT represent the individuals.

Bozeman said.

Gov. Phil Bryant issued burn bans in the fall of 2015 and 2016 due to severe drought.

Typically, the most dangerous season is early spring after winter has killed back vegetation, though a mild winter allowed an early greening this year, Bozeman said.

Leading up to the next reduction, the commission employs 345, most of whom are firefighters, Bozeman said.

The commission has had to rely more on volunteer fire departments around the

Molly Jeffcoat Moody & Ben Williams Also, legal opinions deal with law, with critical facts being assumed.

Is there a solution?

We probably can’t salvage this closing today, but there are steps than can be taken in future transactions.

1. An Ounce of Prevention. Often, documents for execution aren’t available until the last minute. Still, it is worth asking if select documents (resolutions, certificates, guaranties, etc.) can be signed in advance of closing. As one memorable Mississippi businessman often chants: “If you can’t be on time, be early.”

2. Technology. In this age, PDF execution documents can be emailed around the world and signed originals shipped back in mere days. As long as the principal isn’t hiking Mount Kilimanjaro, we can climb this hill.

3. Transaction-Specific POA. There might be a factual situation where a POA is necessary and appropriate. If so, the parties should discuss the situation with the lender and attorneys, and consider using a transaction-specific POA. Other Scenarios. Other pitfalls exist. An officer of an entity (such as the President of a corporation) obtains authority from corporate documents. Absent express approval, a corporate officer has no authority to assign that officer authority via a POA. Also, the use of a POA in a real estate transfer is problematic. Title insurance companies are leery of insuring real property where title passed via a deed signed by an agent. Mississippi law requires a POA used to transfer title be recorded in the appropriate land records.

Conclusion & Summary.

A power of attorney is of little usefulness in commercial transactions. If first presented at the closing table, the closing will likely be delayed. Legal opinions rarely cure the factual and legal issues associated with the POA. To avoid delays, principals should be available for closing or make other arrangements in advance.

While a delayed closing is better than no closing, everyone will be happier if the money flows on the first try.

Ben Williams and Molly Jeffcoat Moody are attorneys engaged in an active commercial law practice at Watkins & Eager PLLC. Ben and Molly are both recognized by Chambers USA and Best Lawyers in America. Ben was selected as Best Lawyer’s 2017 Mergers & Acquisition Law Attorney of the Year in Jackson, Mississippi. Additional information is available at www.watkinseager.com.

state, but it has been able to help them with firefighting equipment and personnel gear through federal programs, Bozeman said.

State Fire Marshal Mike Chaney, who is also insurance commissioner, said that 2017 is the sixth consecutive year that the state has not given the fire marshal’s office any money for rural firetrucks.

In order to keep a lid on insurance rates, “I had them all to recertify their trucks, if they were old, for another five years” with minor repairs.

“The state fire marshal’s office is voluntarily checking all suspicious fires at the request of the local sheriff’s offices,” Chaney said.

Tedrick Ratcliff, executive vice president of the Mississippi Forestry Association, said “from our perspective, anytime there has been a reduction in force, there is a concern.”

Mississippi Business Journal

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Federal Court strikes down FAA’s hobby drone registration requirement

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Evaluating cyber risk from the board of director’s seat

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TECHNOLOGY

s a board member in today’s digital economy, what should you be thinking about? Cyber security, for sure.

Cyber risks are evolving and can affect every area of your operations. These risks change almost daily and can relate to complicated technology issues. When it comes to managing risk, the rapid rate at which technology is changing and the growing cyber risks leave board members in a difficult position.

Here are a few suggestions to help you mitigate cyber risk and achieve greater transparency into your cyber operations: Seek Assurance of Cyber Controls In the past, organizations relied on various consultants, internal resources, and sometimes just plain luck to identify and mitigate cyber risks. To guide you, the AICPA just recently issued its much awaited standard on cyber security. The “Cyber SOC” allows CPA’s to audit a company’s cyber security. This fundamentally changes how cyber threats are evaluated and managed, enabling an independent, objective look at an organization’s processes, policies and controls around cyber risks.

The Cyber SOC also provides an opportunity for you to assure to your customers that you are providing a secure cyber environment—providing comfort to customers in any business. This is a huge win because customers are increasingly wary of cyber attacks and are looking for companies that take the growing threat seriously.

The Cyber SOC is even instrumental in ensuring the robustness of internal controls and processes related to cyber risks. You can use the framework to perform a benchmark readiness assessment, which compares your organization’s current cyber control framework against the established Cyber SOC control objectives. This benchmarking allows you to confidently identify gaps in your cyber control environment that can then be remediated. It’s easy to imagine a Board requesting a Cyber SOC readiness assessment and then monitoring progress against the gap analysis on a quarterly basis. You can read more about the new Cyber SOC here.

Ask the Right Questions Astute board members are asking questions about cy-

May 26, 2017

ber risks, in part driven by their own learning and in part by their external auditor’s questions. For public companies, the PCAOB has started asking questions to audit firms regarding their evaluation of the company’s cyber position. Right now, these are just questions. In the near future, it’s entirely possible that cyber risks will be included as part of the 10-K. In fact, there is legislation in the House now that would require cyber to be included in SOX certifications and testing. Once the trigger has been pulled, the PCAOB will require auditors to perform detailed testing around cyber risks and controls.

In the current environment, boards need to continue to ask questions around cyber. Here are some questions you should consider asking: What kind of information do you have that is private?

How often do you conduct penetration testing and what type of penetration testing do you conduct?

Have you been hacked or had any security issues?

When was the last time your security policies and controls were reviewed?

Have there been significant changes in the business or IT, or are changes anticipated in the near future?

Asking the right questions is vital because they can lead to the effective actions necessary to secure your organization. Understanding your policies and procedures around cybersecurity is a must. It’s important to not only understand what policies you have, but Independently evaluate those policies and controls to ensure your approach appropriately mitigates your cyber risks.

As a board member in today’s world, cyber risk should be top of mind. By anticipating the growing concerns and growing cyber threats, board members should start taking steps to manage cyber risks and help your business jump ahead of the competition by being first to the market with cyber resilience that makes your company more distinctive as a trusted partner.

Ann Cleland is a partner at HORNE Cyber where she oversees all aspects of cyber assurance services. Cleland’s depth of knowledge in assurance covers service to a variety of clients in both external and internal audit capacities including governmental A-133 audits; and in industries as diverse as real estate, healthcare, nonprofit, retail and manufacturing.

n December of 2015, the Federal Aviation Administration instituted a regulation that required hobby drone operators to register their unmanned aircraft systems with the FAA. The rule requires these operators to provide their names; physical, mailing, and email addresses; and any other information the FAA chooses to require. It also creates an online platform for registration, establishes a $5 per-individual registration fee, sets compliance deadlines, and requires all small unmanned aircraft to display a unique identifier number issued by the FAA. This rule’s enactment requires operators, who do nothing more than fly their drone around their yards or at a local park, to receive proper credentialing from the Kyle Williams federal government prior to flying. Failure to register may lead to civil or criminal monetary penalties and up to three years’ imprisonment.

However, on May 19, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit struck down the regulation, finding that the FAA cannot require hobbyists to register their recreational drones and model aircraft because the 2012 FAA Modernization and Reform Act, signed into law in 2012, states that the FAA “may not promulgate any rule or regulation regarding a model aircraft.”

While this ruling is a victory for hobbyists who wish to operate their personal, non-commercial drones, some industry members are not happy about the court’s holding. Brian Wynne, president and CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, expressed disappointment over the decision, stating in part that registration “is important to promote accountability and responsibility by users of the national airspace, and helps create a culture of safety that deters careless and reckless behavior.” Similarly, the FAA released a statement on the ruling, maintaining that it had “put registration and operational regulations in place to ensure that drones are operated in a way that is safe and does not pose security and privacy threats.”

Without registration, identifying the owners of drones that cause injury or interfere with manned flight will likely become much more difficult. However, the prohibitory language in the 2012 FAA Modernization and Reform Act is quite clear. Congress may eventually take action to require registration or to provide some other means of identifying drone owners. However, until such time, hobbyists may enjoy one less requirement for non-commercial drone operation.

L. Kyle Williams is an attorney at Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes, PLLC, in Jackson, Mississippi, and has a certificate in Remote Sensing, Air & Space Law from the University of Mississippi School of Law.

10 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q May 26, 2017 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Preleasing pumping life into District Lofts complex

By JACK WEATHERLY jack.weatherly@msbusiness.com Driving past the District at Eastover motorists on Interstate 55 get a two-dimensional picture of the Lofts, which provides a backdrop for the mixed-used District at Eastover mixed-use project But the interior courtyards of the The District Lofts cannot be seen from the interstate. They create the depth, “the third dimension,” of the six-story, 261-unit building.

And preleasing, as of Tuesday of 77 units since the first week of March, is pumping life into the complex, said Marc Holcombe, community manager for Arlington Properties, the Birmingham-based owner.

“We’re way ahead of our projections,” Holcombe said.

Completion of the lofts is set for the end of June, Holcombe said.

The luxury apartments are divided into seven categories named for famous musicians.

The one-bedroom units carry the names Hendrix (Jimi), Franklin (Aretha), Davis (Miles), Clapton (Eric) and Parker (Charlie). The two-bedroom apartments are Goodman (Benny) and Ellington (Duke).

The three-bedroom apartments, each on a corner with a wraparound balcony, are named for Louis Armstrong. Each unit has a balcony.

The starting price for studios, which average 597 square feet, is $1,175. One bedrooms start at $1,235 and average about 800 square feet. Two-bedroom units range

Courtesy of Arlington Properties/MBJ

The south courtyard is lined by stones and oversized green planters.

from $1,525 to $1,700 and average 1,050 square feet. The three-bedroom models range from $1,850 to $2,040 and average 1,385 square feet.

Thus far, the one-bedroom units are the most in demand. Thirty-three have been leased, followed by 26 two-bedroom models and nine three-bedroom units, Holcombe said.

There is a “viewing fee” ranging from $30 to $50 a month for fifth and sixthfloor units, which is for the privilege of seeing the courtyards and the western part of the District.

The “ground level” third story opens onto the common area, the heart of which is The Grotto, a soaring space for watching something on the two 70-inch televisions or playing something on gaming tables.

Off that space is a club room and full kitchen for group functions.

It separates the north courtyard with its “green space,” actually fool-the-eye artificial turf, and a bocce court to one side and a grill on the other, and the south courtyard dominated by a two-level saltwater pool.

There is a one-time $350 pet fee for any apartment.

Courtesy of Arlington Properties/MBJ

The club room features dangling Edison lights.

There will be five-day trash pickup for $35 a month, he said.

He said the “amenities of the district will be a huge benefit to the residents. You just about don’t have to go anywhere except to buy groceries.”

District at Eastover will have 125,000 square feet in retail and restaurant space in the 585,000-square-foot mixed use development between Meadowbrook Road and Eastover Drive. Much of the retail and restaurant space will be on the ground floor of the District Lofts.

One exception is the Cantina Laredo, which Holcombe called a “white-tablecloth Mexican restaurant.” across from what Holcombe called a gourmet burger and craft beer place.

The 95-room Marriott Residence Inn opened Aug. 18, marking the completion of a major aspect of the mixed-use development.

One Eastover Place is an office building whose major tenant is the Baker Donelson law firm, in addition to the Ross and Yerger insurance agency , and CPA firm Cosmich, Simmons & Brown.

BankPlus has opened the headquarters for its Jackson banking center, offering commercial lending, commercial real estate, private banking and other services.

Origin Bank has opened a drive-through branch.

Ted Duckworth and Breck Hines are developing the 21-acre property. They are the officers of the District Land Development Co. Duckworth and Hines are also the top officers with Duckworth Realty.

May 26, 2017

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Mississippi Business Journal

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THE SPIN CYCLE

How did news media cover Trump’s first 100 days?

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new report from Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy analyzed news coverage of President Trump’s first 100 days in office – which set a new standard for negative coverage.

The report is based on an analysis of news reports in the print editions of The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, the main newscasts of CBS, CNN, Fox News, and NBC, and three European news outlets (The UK’s Financial Times and BBC, and Germany’s ARD).

Findings include: » President Trump dominated media coverage in the outlets and programs analyzed, with Trump being the topic of 41 percent of all news stories – three times the amount of coverage received by previous presidents. He was also the featured speaker in nearly two-thirds of his coverage. » Republican voices accounted for 80 percent of what newsmakers said about the Trump presidency, compared to only 6 percent for Democrats and 3 percent for those involved in anti-Trump protests. » European reporters were more likely than American journalists to directly question Trump’s fitness for office. » Trump has received unsparing coverage for most weeks of his presidency, without a single major topic where Trump’s coverage, on balance, was more positive than negative, setting a new standard for unfavorable press coverage of a president. » Fox was the only news outlet in the study that came close to giving Trump positive coverage overall; however, there was variation in the tone of Fox’s coverage depending on the topic.

The media have been fascinated by Trump since the first days of his presidential candidacy. The studies of 2016 presidential election coverage found that Trump received more news coverage than rival candidates during virtually every week of the campaign. The reason is clear enough. Trump is a journalist’s dream. Reporters are tuned to what’s new and different, better yet if it’s laced with controversy.

Trump delivers that type of material by the shovel full. Trump is also good for business.

News ratings were slumping until Trump entered the arena. Said one network executive, “[Trump] may not be good for America, but [he’s] damn good for [us].”

Presidents are more than the main focus of U.S. reporters. Presidents are also their main target. Although journalists are accused of having a liberal bias, their real bias is a preference for the negative.News reporting turned sour during the Vietnam and Watergate era and has stayed that way.

Journalists’ incentives, everything from getting their stories on the air to acquir-

ing a reputation as a hard-hitting reporter, encourage journalists to focus on what’s wrong with politicians rather than what’s right. Once upon a time, the “honeymoon” period for a newly inaugurated president included favorable press coverage. That era is now decades in the past. Today’s presidents can expect rough treatment at the hands of the press, and Donald Trump is no exception.

Of the past four presidents, only Barack Obama received favorable coverage during his first 100 days, after which the press reverted to form. During his second 100 days, Obama’s coverage was 57 percent negative to 43 percent positive.

Trump’s coverage during his first 100 days set a new standard for negativity. Of news reports with a clear tone, negative reports outpaced positive ones by 80 percent to 20 percent. Trump’s coverage was unsparing. In no week did the coverage drop below 70 percent negative and it reached 90 percent negative at its peak. The best period for Trump was week 12 of his presidency, when he ordered a cruise missile strike on a Syrian airbase in retaliation for the Assad regime’s use of nerve gas on civilians. That week, his coverage divided 70 percent negative to 30 percent positive.

Trump’s worst periods were weeks 3 and 4 (a combined 87 percent negative) when federal judges struck down his first executive order banning some Muslim immigrants, and weeks 9 and 10 (a combined 88 percent negative) when the House of Representatives was struggling without success to muster the votes to pass a “repeal and replace” health care bill.

Social Media Listening Among Top PR Trends Social media listening is one of the top digital trends transforming — and improving — public relations, new research reveals.

The three most important digital trends in PR include: social listening, digital storytelling and real-time marketing, according to The Evolution of Public Relations report by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) in conjunction with the USC Center for Public Relations at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

Digital techniques are improving the quality of public relations, as they allow immediate outbound communication and inbound feedback, the ANA report emphasizes. Findings from the survey of ANA members were integrated into the USC Annenberg’s Global Communications Report, based on a comprehensive survey of more than 800 PR executives.

It is important to note that the top three trends are interlinked: “I heard something” (social listening), “I need to tell a story about it” (digital storytelling), and “I need

to do it fast” (real-time marketing).

Social media listening, also called social media monitoring, has recently become both more sophisticated and more important than Todd Smith ever.

The survey of marketers and PR executives reveals other important industry trends.

PR is converging with marketing. The borders between public relations and marketing are breaking down. They are no longer separate disciplines. More than half of ANA members polled believe PR will become more closely aligned with marketing over the next five years. Most (72 percent) say PR will either become more closely aligned with marketing or become a subset of marketing.

The next generation of talent entering the job market interested in public relations needs a broader skill set that recognizes that marketing and public relations are increasingly commingling.

Measurement is paramount to demonstrating PRs value to the organization.

Survey respondents agreed that PR can show its value most effectively by: » Demonstrating how public relations programs achieve measureable business objectives and » Improving measurement of results.

“Public relations as a discipline is clearly evolving and becoming more important to marketers,” said ANA group EVP Bill Duggan in a statement. “And PR is being fueled by the rise and omnipresence of digital communications. Digital has put PR front and center, as it allows immediate outbound communication and inbound feedback.”

Bottom Line: Social media listening, combined with digital storytelling and real-time marketing, is increasing the importance of public relations. However, it’s

critical to demonstrate its contribution through measurement.

Silenced Mic | Curtains For Greatest Show on Earth The curtain has closed on one of the most iconic brands in American history – Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Last Sunday was the last ever performance of the circus, whose flying acrobats, ferocious lions and parading elephants captivated generations after failing to sufficiently dazzle the children of the smartphone age and to overcome the fierce opposition of the animal rights movement, which does not want to see animals in the circus.

The closing is a sad chapter of what was as American as mom and apple pie. At its prime, the circus was the pinnacle of family entertainment. But the shows lost appeal as it grew outdated and difficult for a plugged-in, multitasking generation with short attention spans, looking for the next digital impulse. The Spin Cycle will never forget the magic, pomp and circumstance of the “Greatest Show on Earth.” It’s a silenced mic moment, indeed, and we must all now keep the magic alive by sharing stories with our children and grandchildren!

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

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

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

http://www.msbusiness.com

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AN MBJ FOCUS: ECONOMIC DEVELOPME

Nick Sanders (left) and Todd Sumrall operate the friction welder at Helanbak. The tool joint (shiny part) is friction welded to the pipe tube (brown part). The heat generated causes the face of the tool joint and the pipe to wel

Helanbak: There and back with » Columbia manufacturer showing the proper part is vital in the drilling industry

By BECKY GILLETTE mbj@msbusiness.com

W

e all know that the right tool makes the difference, and that is the forte of Helanbak, a precision parts manufacturer which relocated to Columbia in 2014 and manufactures metal products for several industries such as water well drilling, sawmills and firearms.

Yolanda and Kristian Agoglia are the owners of the company that designs and manufactures pipe for the water well, seismograph, geothermal and environmental

drilling industries. The company received its name because the most lucrative part of the business when it was established was to incorporate drill pipe for water wells.

The parts manufactured go “to hell and back.”

“Our name originated from the drilling rig atmosphere and where our drill pipe products ‘go’,” Kristian Agoglia, president of the company, said. “Drillers are also literally drilling down into the earth and coming back.”

In 2014, the company opened operations in the former Orleans Furniture building off Highway 13, which been vacant a number of years and was considered an eyesore. At the same time Helanbak purchased Terry’s Bits & Services, which provided products and services to sawmill and water well businesses. Since then assets have been invested in new machines, software, and experienced machinists, allowing Helanbak to manufacture customized parts and add a firearms line.

“From product designing to mass production, we facilitate all functions in house,” Agoglia said.

A significant number of jobs in the U.S. in the next 20 years are expected to be eliminated by robots and automation. Helanbak’s production is highly automated,

“From product designing to mass production, we facilitate all functions in house.”

Kristian Agoglia, Co-owner, Helanbak

but Agoglia said a precise machine must be operated b precise machinist.

“About 80 percent of our current production is automated from CNC machining to friction welding, Agoglia said. “Our design work, operation, and maintenance requires trained and experienced machinists.

Quality assurance is a significant part of our operation With technologies increasing production efficiency, ou operating costs continuously decrease. Our biggest co in production is the time for an individual part. If we lessen that time, we are able to be more competitive.”

May 26, 2017 • MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS JOURNAL • www.msbusiness.com

ENT

Courtesy of Helenbak

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Agoglia said the very accommodating business atmosphere in Columbia played a significant role in the company locating there. With assistance from the Marion County Development Partnership and the City of Columbia, Helanbak was able to acquire an ideal facility with room to expand.

Gerald B. (Jerry) Frazier, president and executive director, MCDP, said Helanbak has been a great addition to the Marion County economy.

“They use ‘state of the art’ technology employing workers with advanced manufacturing skills,” Frazier said. “Helanbak increases product diversity in Marion County’s industrial base and adds a new chapter to the county’s long and successful entrepreneurial history.”

Helanbak does business across the U.S., and its products have been exported to Central America. Its next goal is to export to Canada and Brazil.

Agoglia said they have had no difficulty finding skilled labor for the shop that employs 18 people. They have relied on close relationships with junior colleges See HELANBAK, Page 15

Courtesy of Helenbak

Helanbak is a precision parts manufacturer that makes metal products for several industries such as water well drilling, sawmills and firearms. Perry McKenzie monitors part of that process.

14 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q May 26, 2017

Economic Development

Students hit the road early

» Four Hinds students will intern at Continental Tire’s Illinois plant this summer

By NASH NUNNERY mbj@msbusiness.com

O

n a bustling 900-acre site off of I-20 just west of Clinton, site work at the new Continental Tire plant is well under way. Actual construction on the plant will begin in January.

But long before the tire producer opens its doors for production at the end of 2019, four Hinds Community College students are getting a bird’s-eye view of operations in a large tire manufacturing plant this summer. Beginning June 4, the students will get on-the-job experience from Continental maintenance and engineering experts in electrical, mechanical and hydraulic systems.

The students, who are enrolled in the college’s industrial maintenance, electrical and electronic technologies programs, were selected to participate in a nine-

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Courtesy of Hinds Community College

CONTINENTAL TIRE interns from Hinds Community College are, front row, from left, Samuel Williams and Mack Pope. Back row are Sherry Franklin with Hinds and Zach Morrow with Continental. Interns not pictured are Ken Anderson, Dylan Canant and Samuel Williams.

week, paid summer internship program at the company’s Mount Vernon, Ill., tire plant.

“The Continental program is an awe-

some opportunity for our students to get hands on practical experience in a commercial tire operation,” said David Creel, Hinds’ district director of manufacturing training. “There is no doubt that these fine young men will represent themselves and Hinds Community College very well.”

According to Continental, maintenance technicians will be among the first positions filled when hiring begins for the Clinton plant in late 2018. Maintenance techs will play a key role in the company’s daily operations with responsibility for reactive and preventative equipment upkeep throughout the proposed commercial tire production facility.

Mack Pope, 25, one of the students selected, is looking forward to the opportunity. Accepted into Hinds’ radiology program earlier, he discovered hospital work was not in his future.

“I’ve been taking things apart since I was five- years old, when I got my first screwdriver,” said the Terry resident. “I found the electronics program here, and that interested me the most of all the technical programs.”

Other HCC student interns selected for the program include Ken Anderson, Dylan Canant and Samuel Williams.

Continental Tire executive TJ McKinney anticipates a lot of interest in employment with the new plant once the hiring process begins. Though an internship doesn’t guarantee interns a job, McKinney, who serves as Continental’s director of labor and employee relations, said the experience certainly won’t hinder their prospects.

“All candidates including interns will have to go through the same selection process,” he said. “However, I am sure

having hands-on experience with Continental’s equipment and knowledge of our processes will prove to be favorable for the interns.”

McKinney said the internship partnership may transition into an apprenticeship program once the Clinton plant is built.

“We will determine the shape and future of the internship program on a yearly basis so that we best meet the needs of Continental and Hinds Community College,” he said.

He added that Continental has relationships with community colleges in each of the company’s tire manufacturing plant locations.

“Through these partnerships, we typically offer the maintenance apprentice program to help develop our future workforce,” McKinney said. “Because the Clinton plant is still in the early stages of development, we partnered with Hinds to offer the internship program.

“In contrast to the apprenticeship’s year-round work schedule at the local plant, the internship offers on-the-job experience at a remote location during the summer only.”

In addition to having a 3.0 GPA and a positive attendance record, the students selected also were required to complete Continental’s standard application and submit three letters of recommendation.

Finalists were then brought to the Mt. Vernon plant for interviews.

The Hinds interns will report for their first day on June 5.

Williams, a Hinds CC Dean’s List student on the Rankin campus, said he’s excited and ready to go.

“This is a whole new chapter in my life and I can’t wait to get up there,” he said.

Focus

May 26, 2017

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Mississippi Business Journal

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15

Where Public Meets Private

Coming Together for The Betterment of All The Madison County Economic Development Authority is a public entity that offers a broad array of economic development, business development, Courtesy of Helenbak

Perry McKenzie uses calipers as part of quality inspection process at Helanbak.

and corporate site location assistance services to new and expanding businesses and industry.

The Madison County Business League & Foundation is

HELANBAK Continued from Page 13

throughout Mississippi that facilitate specialized programs in CNC machining. Their production manager, Jennings Freeman, also conducts in-house training and development.

Agoglia said the one of the products the company is best known for is its friction welded (also known as inertia welded) drill pipes. The tool joint spins against the pipe under applied compression, which generates a tremendous amount of heat. This heat causes the face of the tool joint and the pipe to weld together seamlessly. There is no torch involved. Agoglia said it is a faster and more precise way of manufacturing drill pipe.

Agoglia said they pride themselves in fast and dependable service and provide overnight shipping for most rush orders “The fine folks we work with know that we’re the only ones to call when in need of a custom-built piece,” Agoglia said.

“No order is too small or large. Providing new, surplus, rerun and retipped bits, we specialize in delivering everything from

drag bits, blade bits, and roller cones to PDC’s and hole openers, both cone type and blade type.

With more than 45 years of experience serving the drilling, sawmill and fabrication industries, Buckley Helanbak has a track record of working hard for clients of every shape and size. Since 2014, we have seen significant company growth and two expansions of product lines including drill pipe and firearm parts.”

Kevin Buckley, who is director of business development for Helanbak, said the company is becoming well known for manufacturing the AR-15 rifle.

Production of that began in the fall of 2016.

“There has been strong interest, especially from within the state of Mississippi,” said Buckley. “People like the fact that it is made in Mississippi.”

For more information, see the website, www.helanbak.com or their Facebook page that is regularly updated with videos, www.facebook.com\helanbak.

a private, stakeholder-based support organization that works with business owners and decision makers to discuss topics that affect economic development.

Together, we continue to build upon the economic development infrastructure of Madison County.

We recognize and salute the industry and businesses for the contribution they make towards our quality of life.

135 Mississippi Parkway, Canton, MS 39046 601.605.0368 | madisoncountyeda.com

135 Mississippi Parkway, Canton, MS 39046 601.832.5592 | madisoncountybusinessleague.com

DOWNTOWN JACKSON

OFFICES AVAILABLE

Near Capitol Private offices Reception Conference room Storage Kitchen FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:

Alan Turner, alan.turner@msbusiness.com 601-364-1021

Economic Development HIGHEST-PAYING OCCUPATIONS IN MISSISSIPPI

May 26, 2017

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Newsmakers

18 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q May 26, 2017

Trustmark makes changes Trustmark recently made five staff changes at its corporate headquarters in Jackson.

Mortgage Systems Administrator Lee Moore has been promoted to Vice President. Moore has 27 years of banking experience.

He attended Hinds Community Moore College. Moore is active in his community, where he serves as a member of the Rescue Revolution of Mississippi and Remos Rescue.

Commercial Relationship Manager Associate Julie Hall has been promoted to Assistant Vice President. Hall has five years of banking experience. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration with a Hall concentration in Finance from Mississippi College. She is a member of the Jackson Symphony League, the Junior League of Jackson, Friends of the USA International Ballet Competition, Mississippi Heritage Trust and the Mississippi Young Bankers Association.

Systems Support Manager Steve Padgett has been promoted to Assistant Vice President. Padgett has 30 years of banking experience, specializing in mainframe computer operations.

Tammy B. Lewis, Compliance Risk Manager – Retirement Plan Services, has been named Compliance Officer. Lewis has more than 30 years of combined banking, retirement planning and compliance experience.

Brian Burcham, InformaLewis tion Technology Infrastructure Security Engineer, has been promoted to Information Technology Officer. Burcham has 29 years of computer networking experience. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Mississippi State University. Burcham has certifications in the following courses: Cisco CCNA, SynOptics Terminal Server, Ethernet Basics, Simple Network Protocol Management, Aprisma Spectrum Engineer for Advanced Administration and Spectrum Engineer for Customization.

Young Bankers elect leaders

Wes Rouse of Magnolia State Bank in Hattiesburg has been elected to serve as President of Mississippi Young Bankers, a section of the Mississippi Bankers Association.

Bob Glover of The Peoples Bank in Ripley was elected Vice-President, and Marc Petro of Community Bank in Ridgeland is Treasurer. MYB conducts programs around the state about personal finance.

The section also promotes leadership development and involvement in industry affairs.

Rouse joined Magnolia State Bank in Hattiesburg in January 2015 and serves as Vice-President for Commercial Lending. He earned his bachelor of science in business administration degree and his master of business administration degree from The University of Southern Mississippi. Rouse is also a graduate of the Wealth Management for Private Bankers from the Cannon Financial Institute and the Graduate School of Banking at LSU. In 2010, he obtained his Certified Commercial Investment Member Designation (CCIM), which broadens his knowledge of commercial

Forrest General honors volunteers

Courtesy of Forrest General Hospital

Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg recently hosted its annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon, and Edith West, hospice, left, and Virginia McFatter, hospital, right, each received their 20-year volunteer awards. Other volunteer award recipients were: 10 Years: Joan Davis, Kay Stephens and Marie Sykes; 10 Years: Bea Cathey, Olivia Pigford, Patricia Brewer, Ina Carlton, Marcia Feagans and Danny Newell; 2 Years: Lottie Clark and Ashley Redfern. 2 Years (hospice): Rodney Pearson. real-estate property investment and commercial transactions.

Rouse currently serves on the ADP Leadership Pine Belt Steering Committee and is a board member for the United Way of Southeast Mississippi. He has also served as a board member for the HattiesRouse burg Public School District Education Foundation, The Boys and Girls Club of Hattiesburg and the Salvation Army Advisory Board.

Rouse has been a participant in the Leaders for a New Century in 2002, Leadership Gulf Coast in 2005, and Leadership Mississippi in 2011 and was awarded “Top 40 Under 40” by the Mississippi Glover Business Journal in 2011 and “Top 20 Under 40” by the Hattiesburg American in 2015.

He and his wife, Traci, live in Hattiesburg with their daughter, Rebecca.

Glover is vice president, investment and security officer at Peoples Bank. He earned his Petro bachelor of science in business administration degree in finance and risk management, insurance and financial planning from Mississippi State University. Glover is also a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU. His MBA involvement includes serving on the MBA Security Committee.

Glover is chairman of the Tippah County Development Foundation and CFO of TARGET Endowment. He is a board member of Ripley Arts Council and Yocona Area Council – Boy Scouts of America. Glover is also an active volunteer at the Sanctuary Hospice House.

He and his wife, Amberly, live in Ripley with their

daughter, Snow, and son, Graham.

Petro serves as executive vice president and the Hinds/Madison County division manager for Community Bank of Mississippi. He has been with Community Bank of Mississippi for 15 years. Petro earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Mississippi State University. He is also a graduate of the MBA sponsored Mississippi School of Banking and the Graduate School of Banking at LSU. Petro has served the MYB as County Chairman, Group 6 Councilman, and Councilman at Large. His community involvement includes past president of the Ridgeland Chamber of Commerce.

Petro and his wife, Jamie, reside in Madison.

Arts Commission hires 2 The Mississippi Arts Council recently filled two positions on its staff. Anna Ehrgott, of Jackson has been named communications director, and Maria Zeringue is Folk and Traditional Arts Program Director.

Ehrgott previously served as Ehrgott digital media strategist for Mississippi Development Authority, and takes eight years of public relations experience to MAC. She has written two winning entries for the Public Relations Association of Mississippi Prism awards, including one “Best of Show.”

As communications director, Zeringue Ehrgott will lead the promotional efforts for Mississippi Arts Commission by telling the stories of MAC artists and arts organizations through print, broadcast, social and digital media. She will plan and manage public-facing events such as the annual Arts Day at the Capitol ad-

vocacy event and the Governor’s Arts Awards, MAC’s signature annual event which recognizes outstanding contributors of the arts.

Ehrgott will also produce the MAC Teaching and Artist Roster, a juried directory, as well as manage the schedule for “Mississippi Arts Hour,” MAC’s weekly radio show on Mississippi Public Broadcasting.

Ehrgott has a master’s degree in public relations and corporate communications from Mississippi College and a bachelor’s degree in English from Millsaps College.

Zeringue, of Bloomington, Ind., and a native of Thibodaux, La., previously served as research and curatorial assistant at Traditional Arts Indiana. At MAC, she will coordinate folk and traditional arts grants programs, including grants to organizations and individual artists as well as recruit folk and traditional artists to participate in MAC’s non-grant programs and initiatives, including the Artist Roster, a juried directory of Mississippi artists.

Zeringue will also manage MAC’s participation in federally funded folk and traditional arts initiatives, serve as managing editor for the Mississippi Folklife digital publication and conduct and oversee the documentary fieldwork of traditional artists.

Zeringue has master’s degrees in French from the University of Louisiana Lafayette and folklore from Indiana University, and a bachelor’s degree in Louisiana studies from UL-Lafayette.

State’s Presidental Scholars The Mississippi Department of Education has announced that two Mississippi students have been named 2017 U.S. Presidential Scholars.

The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars selected Kelly Bates, a senior at West Lauderdale High School, and Braeden Foldenauer, a senior at the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, to receive the prestigious award. They are among 161 high school seniors nationwide who were selected on the basis of their accomplishments in many areas – academic and artistic success, leadership, and involvement in school and the community – and represent excellence in education.

Bates and Foldenauer have been invited to travel to Washington, D.C. in June to participate in the National Recognition Program, which includes the presentation of the Presidential Scholars Medallion during a White House-sponsored ceremony.

State DOR wins honor The Mississippi Department of Revenue has been recognized for its innovative use of physical and digital technology to meet requirements for a new state law at the 2017 Brilliance Awards from Pitney Bowes. The annual awards honor leading print and mail organizations – innovators, early adopters and creative problem solvers – who are finding new ways to streamline workflow, respond to market changes, increase competitiveness and blend physical and digital technologies to obtain the greatest value from their customer communications.

This year, the agency received an award in the Omni-Channel Engagement category. When faced with a new state law requiring proof of mailing to its clients (the taxpayers of Mississippi), the Department implemented a new suite of software and inserting technology to provide a chain of custody for all mailings and ensure compliance. Other winners were Bring Citymail Sweden AB, Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Office, and Mele Printing

Newsmakers BNA makes promotions BNA Bank in New Albany recently made several Promotions: Bob Spencer has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer. Spencer has worked with BNA Bank for 30 years. He is President of the New Albany Main Street Association, a youth Sunday school teacher, and as Chairman of the Finance ComB. Spencer mittee at First United Methodist Church. He is a member of the New Albany Kiwanis club and has served as club president and treasurer. He is a graduate of the University of Mississippi with a degree in Accounting. He is a Certified Public Accountant and has two children.

Mike Staten has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Business Development and Public Relations. Staten has worked at BNA Bank for 39 years in a lending capacity. Current community service includes: Chairman of the Deacons at First Baptist Church, Chairman of the Magnolia Civic Staten Center Board of Directors, and as the Union County Representative for the Toyota Wellspring Education Fund Committee. Staten is a graduate of Northeast Mississippi Community College, the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor’s degree in Banking and Finance. Staten is also a Leadership Mississippi graduate. He has received additional banking and finance training at LSU and Vanderbilt. Staten and his wife, Angie, have two children.

Della Brewster has been promoted to Vice President, Loans and Business Development.

Brewster joined BNA in 2012 after working in banks in Louisiana and Oklahoma. She is a graduate of Louisiana State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Science, the School of Banking at Louisiana Brewster State University and the Southeastern School of Commercial Lending at Vanderbilt.

Brewster is married to Leonard Brewster. She is a member of First United Methodist Church in New Albany where she serves on the finance committee.

Kay Darling has been promoted to Vice President, Internal Auditor. Darling has worked 26 years with BNA Bank. She is an active member at Salem Methodist, Friendship Methodist, and Union Hill Methodist where her husband Dan Darling serves as pastor. She is an avid supporter and fundraiser Darling for LeBonheur Children’s Hospital, having earned the Family Affair of the Year Award for North Mississippi in the past. Kay is a graduate of Northeast Mississippi College and the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. The Darlings have two children.

Tina Orman has been promoted to Assistant Vice President, Mortgage Loans. Orman has worked for BNA Bank for 16 years in the lending department. She is a graduate of Itawamba Community College, and the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor’s degree in Orman

May 26, 2017

Forrest General honors nurses

Q

Mississippi Business Journal

Q

19

Philosophy in Public Policy and Administration. His research measured the public service motivation of Mississippi State University faculty with outstanding U.S. Department of Education federal student loan debt. At the PSC, Washington is charged with ensuring all municipal utility rates Washington in the central district have been approved by the state of Mississippi. Washington is committed to residing in Mississippi with a continued career in public service.

Sullivan joins Neel-Schaffer

Courtesy of Forrest General Hospital

Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg recently recognized its nurses during National Nurses Week celebrations. Those honored, from left, are Darcy Nettles, RN, case management, Non-Clinical Nurse of the Year; Lance Broome, RN, surgery, Clinical Nurse of the Year; and Gladys Wolff, RN, director of Critical Care and Telemetry, Nurse Leader of the Year.

Business Administration. Orman is an active member of Business Network International in New Albany. She is married to David Orman. She has two children. They attend Fairview United Methodist Church in Pontotoc where she is Children’s Ministry Coordinator and she and her husband serve as Youth Leaders.

Witt Spencer has been promoted to Assistant Vice President, Finance. He will also work in the BNA Mortgage department developing mortgage loans. Witt joined the bank in January after working for SIMS Metal Management for as a senior accountant. He is W. Spencer a graduate of The University of Mississippi with his Bachelors and Masters degree in Accountancy. Witt is an volunteer with St. Jude Research Hospital. He is also a member of the New Albany Rotary Club. Witt and his wife, Bridget are active members of First Baptist Church, New Albany where he serves as the Vice Chairman of the Finance Committee. He and Bridget have one child and are expecting another in July.

Tyler Basil has been promoted to Business Development Officer.

He has worked for 1 1/2 years in the lending department. Basil and his wife, Hanna, are members at Hillcrest Baptist Church. Basil is member of the New Albany Kiwanis club, and is one the United Way board. He is a graduate of Basil Mississippi State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Finance.

Andrew (Drew) Stewart Dodds has been promoted to Business Development Officer.

Dodds began working for BNA Bank during high schoo, and in 2015, he began working full time as a Universal Banker in Tupelo. He is a graduate of the Dodds

University of Mississippi with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration. Dodds coaches youth baseball and is a committee member for the Business Network International’s Northeast Mississippi Marketing Group. He is also a member of the CDF Tupelo Young Professionals. Dodds and his wife Lauren are members of First Baptist Church New Albany.

Matt Purvis has been promoted to Business Development Officer. Purvis has been with BNA Bank for 2 1/2 years in Tupelo and will move to the New Albany West Branch. Purvis is a member of the CDF Tupelo Young Professionals and Calvary Baptist Church. He is a graduate of Northeast Mississippi Purvis Community College and the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor’s degree in Banking and Finance and Managerial Finance. His wife, Montana, a 2nd grade teacher in Tupelo.

Chance joins Memorial Rickey L. Chance, DO, has joined Memorial Physician Clinics in Biloxi in the practice of Family Medicine.

Chance received his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, Lewisburg, W.V. He completed his Internship and Res- Chance idency in Family Medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.

Chance has been in practice since the early ’90s and is board certified in Family Medicine.

PSC’s adviser adds degree Dr. Alexander Washington, a native of Madison and the Chief Policy Adviser to Public Service Commissioner Cecil Brown, recently graduated from Mississippi State University with a Doctorate of

Richard Sullivan, PE, has joined Jackson-based Neel-Schaffer and will manage the company’s Tennessee operations from its Nashville office.

Sullivan has 20 years of experience as a Transportation Engineer and Project Manager. He worked the last six years with The Corradi- Sullivan no Group in Brentwood, Tenn., and prior to that he worked for the Tennessee Department of Transportation, where he filled a variety of roles from 1998-2011.

He will oversee our four Tennessee offices, plus provide business development services throughout the region. Sullivan holds a Bachelor of Science in civil and environmental engineering from Tennessee Tech University.

Galle named casinos’ GM Mike Galle has been named General Manager at Boomtown Casino Biloxi and Hollywood Gulf Coast in Bay St. Louis. Both are Penn National Gaming properties.

Galle began his career in the gaming industry in Surveillance from 1992 -1995. He joined Penn Galle National Gaming in 2005 and is one of the longest serving property team leaders and has steadily climbed the ranks holding the positions of Director of Surveillance, Director of Slot Operations, Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Casino Operations. In his last position he was appointed General Manager of Hollywood Gaming Mahoning Valley.

Butler Snow ranks in Top 10 Butler Snow has been ranked as a Top 10 bond counsel firm nationally by the Thomson Reuters Top Bond Counsel rankings for number of bond deals in the first quarter of 2017, moving up 29 spots to No. 10.

The firm ranked in the Top 10 in a variety of categories in addition to bond counsel firm, including: private bond counsel, private counsel and disclosure counsel, among others.

Butler Snow made the Thomson Reuters Top 10 list in these national bond and disclosure categories: Bond Counsel Firm — No. 10, up from No. 39 in 2016; Private Bond Counsel — No. 2, up from No. 13; Private Counsel — No. 4, up from No. 12; Disclosure Counsel — No. 6, up from No. 21; Disclosure Counsel, Long & Short Term — No. 6, up from No. 22; Bond Counsel Negotiated Offerings — No. 8, up from No. 33.

Thomson Reuters is the world’s leading source of news and information for professional markets.

Newsmakers

20 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q May 26, 2017

Martin joins Clinic PT Olivia C. Martin, PT, DPT, recently joined Hattiesburg Clinic Physical Therapy.

Martin received her Doctor of Physical Therapy from The University of Saint Augustine for Health Sciences in Saint Augustine, Fla., and her Bachelor of Science Martin from The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. She is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association.

Southern Civitan installs officers

FCCI leadership changes

Baker Donelson adds 2

Baker Donelson has elected 13 new shareholders across the firm, including Wendy Huff Ellard and Adam H. Gates in its Jackson office.

Ellard is a member of Baker Donelson’s Government Relations and Public Policy Group where she focuses her practice in the areas of disaster recovery and state public policy. A cum laude graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Law, Ellard is a member Ellard of the National Emergency Management Association, the Mississippi Bar Association and the Mississippi Women Lawyers Association where she currently serves as President. She has been listed as a “Rising Star” in Mid-South Super Lawyers since 2015. In 2016, Ellard was recognized for her professional leadership and service with the American Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division “Star of the Quarter” award and with the “Outstanding Service Award” from the Capital Area Bar Association.

Gates is a member of the Firm’s Labor & Employment Group and represents a wide variety of clients, including manufacturers, health care facilities, food processing plants and trucking companies.

He helps his clients manage their workforce by assisting them with Gates day-to-day personnel issues, drafting employment agreements and handbooks, handling disputes involving non-compete agreements and conducting internal investigations. He also defends his clients in litigation and arbitration, including defending claims made by large classes of employees for employment discrimination and wage-and-hour violations. A magna cum laude graduate of the Mississippi College of Law, Mr. Gates is licensed to practice in Mississippi and Louisiana, and he has been recognized as a “Rising Star” byMidSouth Super Lawyers since 2014. In 2014, he attended the IADC Trial Academy at Stanford University, and in 2015, he was one of 20 lawyers selected to participate in the Mississippi Bar’s Leadership Forum.

Scheib joins Empower

Anja Scheib has been named Director of Development for Empower Mississippi in Ridgeland.

Scheib recently completed a development internship with the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit public policy organization.

Scheib, who grew up in Madison, received her Bachelor of Business Administration from Mississippi State University in 2016.

themselves and/or others.

Before joining to SMSH, Ingram worked as an elementary music teacher and assistant band director in the Forrest County School District.

She is a member of the American Music Therapy Association, Pine Belt Pacers, a book club at the Hattiesburg Public Library, a running growth group at Venture Church, and is an Emerald-level member of Friends of SMSH.

Courtesy of Civitan

Southern Civitan, a Laurel chapter of Civitan Internationa, recently installed officers for its new club.

They are, from left, President, Tiffany Parrish of the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services; Treasurer, Joy Ulland of BancorpSouth; Secretary, Lacey Kux-Manning of Kux Jewelers; Board member Kelli Holston; and Board member Shella Hennis. Not pictured are Sargent at Arms Steve Parrish of Headrick Outdoor, and Board member Nancy Bell. Civitan is a nonprofit organization of community service clubs across 48 countries. Members devote their time to helping people in need, especially those with developmental disabilities. They also raise funds for the UAB Civitan International Research Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Continental selects Bride Quita Bride has been selected as the Communications Specialist for Continental Tire’s new Greenfield Tire Plant in Mississippi. Bride will be responsible for public relations, employee communications and outreach.

Bride, a Vicksburg native, graduated from Jackson State University with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications and a minor in marketing. Collectively, Bride has 13 years of communications experience in public relations, radio broadcasting, and marketing.

Before coming to Continental Tire, Bride worked as a Community Outreach Specialist for UnitedHealthcare and a Public Information Officer for the City of Jackson during Harvey Johnson, Jr’s administration.

She is also a former radio announcer for Alpha Media and Roberts Broadcasting.

SMSH honors Watson May Watson, an RN at the South Mississippi State Hospital behavioral health program in Purvis, was named Employee of the Year by Friends of South Mississippi State Hospital. Selected from employees of each quarter, the honor was voted on by employees based on the hospital’s values system.

Watson has been employed as an RN at SMSH since March 2014 and currently serves as a unit coordinator. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing in December 2009 and recently completed a Master’s of Science in Nursing in the Health Care Systems Management program at Loyola University of New Orleans School of Nursing.

The organization elected new officers and board members during the meeting. Benny Prestridge, a community volunteer, will serve as president; Pat Lee, of Lamar Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center, will serve as vice-president. Donna Boutwell and Andy Tucker, the hospital’s public relations director and

fiscal services director, who are ex-officio officers, will serve as secretary and treasurer, respectively. Missy Gipson, of Hancock Bank, will fill the slot of past president.

Other board members include: Doug Boutwell (community volunteer), Bill Coll (community volunteer), Ed Felsher (community volunteer), Michael Graham (Pearl River Valley Electric Power Association), April Holder (SMSH 2015 Employee of the Year), Harold Myatt (community volunteer), Steve Reid (Pearl River County Hospital Intensive Outpatient Program), May Watson (SMSH 2016 Employee of the Year), and Wynona Wiley (community volunteer). Members elected to the Honorary Board of Directors are Sen. Joey Fillingane, Greg Lowery (Owens Business Machines), and Jeff Mayo (Oak Grove Heating & Air).

Ingram recognized Melanie Ingram was recently named South Mississippi State Hospital’s first quarter 2017 Employee of the Quarter. Ingram first came to SMSH in Purvis as a music therapy intern in 2011 and was hired as an active treatment technician following her internship.

She began as a full-time recreational therapist in October 2012 upon her accreditation as a certified music therapist.

A Lamar County resident, Ingram attended Jones County Junior College for two years and transferred to William Carey University to earn a Bachelor’s degree in music education in 2002. She returned to WCU in 2009 and obtained her music therapy degree in 2012.

Ingram has been accepted into the Master’s program at the University of Southern Mississippi to begin work on a degree in child and family studies this fall.

Ingram is also a certified Mandt instructor at SMSH. The Mandt System is an approach to preventing, de-escalating, and if necessary, intervening when the behavior of an individual poses a threat of harm to

FCCI Insurance Group has promoted Tiffany Hawkins to regional vice president, and Trey Stone to assistant vice president in the Gulf Coast Regional office in Ridgeland. Hawkins will oversee agency relationships, underwriting, claims and risk management operations, working from the re- Hawkins gional office in Jackson. Stone will continue to manage the Alabama office and will oversee FCCI’s state directors and marketing underwriters in the Gulf Coast Region.

She will be relocating to Jackson.

Hawkins joined FCCI in 2012 as a senior marketing underwriter.

Successfully building agency Stone partnerships in Mississippi, Arkansas and Tennessee, she quickly earned the state director role for those three states. Hawkins began her insurance career at the St. Paul Companies and later joined the Travelers Insurance Company in Mississippi as a Sales Executive. From Marks, Hawkins graduated from the University of Mississippi with a degree in risk management.

Stone joined FCCI in November 2009 as a senior marketing underwriter and was quickly promoted to state director of Alabama. In June 2016, he was promoted to managing director of the Alabama branch office. He began his insurance career at Travelers Insurance Company in Birmingham, Alabama, and has worked for State Auto, AmTrust and Companion Property and Casualty Group. A graduate of Auburn University with a degree in Business Administration, Stone resides in Birmingham, Alabama.

Tom Quaka, who led the region for the past 20 years, will remain a part of FCCI’s leadership team. He will assist Hawkins and Stone through the transition, then work with Chairman of the Board, President & CEO Craig Johnson on company-wide initiatives.

Hittig named brewmaster

The Mighty Miss. Brewing Co. management team has hired Scott Hettig as Brewmaster for the operation in Greenville.

Hettig moves to the Delta with nine years of brewing experience at the St. Francis Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisc.

Though Hettig got his start in Hettig homebrewing almost 30 years ago. He then became an Assistant Brewer at Rock Bottom brewing in Cleveland, Ohio, and later moved St. Francis Brewery where he focused on German-style brews with an eye to the palate of his customers.

Hettig and his wife Kelley have four grown children.

Mighty Miss. Brewing Co. is currently producing four beers which can be found in various markets in Mississippi.

Newsmakers Trustmark promotes 7 at HQ

Trustmark recently made several promotions at its corporate headquarters in Jackson: Will Shurtleff, Tax Credit Administrator, is now First Vice President. Shurtleff has 13 years of banking experience and is a graduate of the Mississippi School of Banking. He earned a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Shurtleff Mississippi College. He serves as a deacon at First Ridgeland Baptist Church.

Ryan Henderson, Corporate Planning Analyst, is now Assistant Vice President. Henderson has 12 years of banking experience. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Mississippi State University.

Mary Hill, Senior Analyst, Henderson is now Information Technology Officer. Hill has over 26 years of experience in information technology. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Southern Mississippi. She serves on the social committee at Meadow Grove Baptist Church.

Hill Kayla Christman, Loan Loss Reserve Consultant, is now Credit Officer. Christman has three years of banking experience. She earned a Master of Professional Accountancy and a Bachelor of Accountancy from Mississippi State University. She is active in the Accounting and Financial Christman Women’s Alliance professional organization.

Christie Allen, Senior Auditor – Financial, is now Audit Officer.

Allen has three years of combined banking and audit experience. She earned a Master of Accountancy and a Bachelor of Accountancy from the University of Mississippi. Allen is a Certified Public Allen Accountant. She is a member of the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Kevin White, Senior Auditor – Wealth Management, is now Audit Officer. White has seven years of combined banking and audit experience. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Mississippi State University and received a Certificate of Account- White ing from Mississippi College.

White is a member of the Phoenix Club of Jackson.

Chad Carmichael, Evaluation Analyst, is now Appraisal Review Officer. Carmichael has eight years of combined banking and real estate experience. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Biology from Mississippi College.

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Golden Triangle Leadership graduates

Courtesy of Greater Starkville Development Partnershp

The Golden Triangle Leadership Program reccently graduated it 2016-17 Class. Class members, front row, from left — John Jefferson, Community Counseling Services, West Point; Zach Foster, Neel-Schaffer, Columbus.; Brad Jones, Renasant Bank, Starkville; Sherman Berry, Cadence Bank, West Point; Anna Kathryn McGill, McConnell Brothers Transfer and Storage, Columbus; Christie Holbrook, Graham Roofing, West Point; Hannah Nail, Curtis Optometry, Columbus; DeLorean King, Community Counseling Services, West Point; Julie Goodin, Waste Pro, Columbus; Jory Tally, WCBI; Jennifer Miles, Mississippi University for Women; Deloris Doss, City of West Point; Lisa Klutts, Growth Alliance of West Point. Second row: Heath Barret, Greater Starkville Development Partnership; Lisa James, Columbus-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce.Back row: Robert Greathree, Columbus Housing Authority; David Vega, BancorpSouth, Columbus; Zach Plair, Commercial Dispatch; Cory Lucius, Shelter Insurance, Starkville; Matthew Seawright, BankFirst, Starkville; Saunders Ramsey, Neel-Schaffer, Starkville; Joshua Carroll, East Mississippi Community College; Ben Upton, Citizens National Bank, Columbus; Matthew Dowell, Golden Triangle Regional Airport; Colin Krieger, RE/MAX Partners, Columbus; James Hazard, BankFirst, Columbus.

Melton wins MC honor Dr. Cindy Melton, Mississippi College’s education dean since January, was recently honored as MC’s Distinguished Professor of the Year for 2016-17.

She has doubled as chair of the Department of Teacher Education and Leadership. A former metro Melton Jackson Outstanding Teacher Award winner in 1998, Melton joined the MC faculty in the elementary education program in 2001.

Melton first taught as an adjunct instructor at Mississippi College, then joined the faculty full-time prior to earning her doctorate in educational leadership at the University of Mississippi. Cindy and her husband, Derek, are the proud parents of two children, Caeley and Cameron.

After earning her bachelor’s degree at MC in 1994, and master’s in education here in 1996, Melton got started in the profession as a teacher in Utica and Clinton public schools.

Fuller takes new MSU role Bobby D. “Bob” Fuller, a longtime Starkville public school educator and administrator, has been named College of Education coordinator for the new Starkville Oktibbeha School District Partnership School at Mississippi State University, beginning July 1.

Fuller’s bachelor’s, master’s and Fuller doctoral degrees all were completed at MSU. A native of north Winston County, he is president of the Friends of Noxubee Refugee volunteer organization.

Fuller is a former principal of Armstrong Middle School in Starkville, where he was honored on three separate occasions as district administrator of the

year. Under his leadership, AMS was one of seven in the United States selected to participate in the creation of a national model for middle school reform.

He has been a regular presenter on middle-school education at the local, state, national and international levels. Since retiring, he has done consulting work and served as a part-time instructor at Mississippi University for Women.

First announced in 2015, the Partnership School will become the keystone of a research center for rural teaching at the 139-year-old land-grant institution. It is being designed to serve an estimated 1,000 sixth- and seventh-grade students.

The projected completion date is January 2019.

Holland elected to post Page Kruger & Holland member James Holland has been elected to serve as President Elect of the Association of Defense Trial Attorneys. He will preside over the organization starting in Austin in 2018 through its meeting in St. Andrews in 2019. The ADTA is an international organization of Holland defense attorneys which accepts members by invitation only, with only one prime member from each community.

Holland has more than 36 years of experience trying cases in the defense of individuals and companies in civil litigation. His experience includes litigating and trying commercial and traumatic injury cases in state and federal courts. He has handled and tried to verdict a wide variety of cases involving products liability, insurance bad faith, and premises liability issues.

He has also served as a Board Member and Director of the 22,000 member DRI, the Voice of the Defense Bar and was President of the Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association. He has been recognized as a Life Fellow of the American Bar Association and Fellow of the Mississippi Bar Foundations.

Stennis wins SBA honor NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, has been awarded the agency’s fiscal year 2016 NASA Small Business Administrator’s Cup. The award is presented annually to recognize the NASA center that has the best overall small business program. It is the second time Stennis has earned the cup in the award’s eight-year history.

Stennis first received the cup in 2011 for having the most innovative small business program in the agency.

Five years later, Stennis is receiving the cup for the center-wide effort and support to promote and better integrate all small businesses in support of the Stennis programs and mission. In FY 2016, Stennis had its most successful overall year on record with regard to the percentage of dollars awarded to small businesses.

Gant joins BMA in Biloxi Nicholas Gant, P.E., has joined Brown, Mitchell & Alexander, Inc., as a Project Engineer in its Biloxi office. Gant has 7 years of industry experience working on private and public sector projects as both a Civil and Field Engineer.

He has assisted project managers in planning, permitting, designGant ing alterations of buildings and infrastructure improvement projects in Alabama and Mississippi.

Gant obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Alabama and is a registered Professional Engineer in both Mississippi and Alabama.

BMA is a consulting engineering firm specializing in civil engineering consulting services, environmental and surveying services.

New Businesses

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JACKSON CASH & CARRY: The Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership recently held a Ribbon Cutting for the Jackson Cash & Carry grocery, 3520 Terry Road in Jackson, in the former Kroger location.

Courtesy of Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership

Courtesy of Greater Starkville Development Partnership

CRICKET WIRELESS: The Greater Starkville Development Partnership recently held a ribbon cutting for Cricket Wireless, 823 Highway 12 West, Suite D in Starkville.

Courtesy of Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership

BANCORPSOUTH: BancorpSouth recently celebrated the opening of its newly remodeled Medical Center Branch office at 2600 N. State St. in Jackson.

Russ Houston / Courtesy of Mississipi State University

PARTNERSHIP SCHOOL: Mississippi State University, Starkville Oktibbeha School District and statewide officials recently broke ground on the new SOSD Partnership School at MSU. Pictured, from left, are Overstreet Elementary Principal Julie Kennedy; future Partnership School student Kayleigh Edelblute; Armstrong Middle School Principal Tim Bourne; SOSD Board of Trustees Member Lee Brand Jr.; future SOSD Superintendent Eddie Peasant; MSU President Mark E. Keenum; Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors President Orlando Trainer; Mississippi Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves; Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman; Mississippi House of Representatives District 38 Rep. Tyrone Ellis; Mississippi House of Representatives District 43 Rep. Rob Roberson; MSU Vice President for Research and Economic Development David Shaw; Partnership School benefactors Bobby and Judy Shackouls; Partnership School benefactors Terri and Tommy Nusz and SOSD Superintendent Lewis Holloway.

New Businesses

Courtesy of The Chamber of Flowood

O! HOW CUTE: The Chamber of Flowood recently held a ribbon-cutting for O! How Cute Boutique and Gifts, 158 Promenade Blvd. in Flowood.

Courtesy of Greater Starkville Development Partnership

FULGHAM BROTHERS MOVING CO: The Greater Starkville Development Partnership recently held a ribbon-cutting for Fulgham Brothers Moving Company.

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Courtesy of The Chamber of Flowood

LIL’ MS. SEW & SEW: The Chamber of Flowood recently held a ribbon-cutting for Lil’ Ms. Sew & Sew, 1679 Old Fannin Road in Flowood.

Courtesy of The District at Eastover

BANKPLUS: BankPlus has moved into The BankPlus Building in The District at Eastover. The complex along Interstate-55 in Jackson will serve as headquarters of the bank’s Jackson Banking Center.

THIMBLEPRESS: The Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership recently held a ribbon-cutting for Thimblepress, 113 N. State St., in Jackson

Courtesy of Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership,

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