MBJ_Nov01_2019

INSIDE — Jones Lumber plans $18M expansion in Natchez, adding 35 jobs — Page 6

40

DEVELOPMENT

YEARS

1979

www.msbusiness.com

Plans revealed for $13M retro-rehab in Fondren — Page 2

MBJ FOCUS

HEALTH CARE {Section begins P16}

» Fresh food making healthful meals also delicious has fueled growth for Newk’s Eatery » ALAN TURNER: One of the great Mississippi success stories » Physician assistants playing increasingly important role in Mississippi healthcare » Mississippi State to launch first public university physician assistant program

{The List P22}

2019

Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, 2019 • Vo. 41 No. 35 • 36 pages

The

MISSISSIPPI

100 List of the state's top private companies for 2019 SECTION BEGINS PAGE 23

» Women’s Medical Centers

http://msbusiness.com/ceo-awards-of-mississippi/

2 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, 2019

Courtesy of Wier Boerner Allin/For the MBJ

Ed’s Burger Joint offer a double-deck front on State Street in the former location of Butterfly Yoga.

Plans revealed for $13M retro-rehab in Fondren

By JACK WEATHERLY jack.weatherly@msbusiness.com Mississippi restaurateur and author Robert St. John will bring his popular Hattiesburg restaurant concept, Ed’s Burger Joint, to the Fondren area as part of a $13 million entertainment project he is spearheading.

St. John, along with his partners, will reopen the historic Capri Theatre with a state-of-the-art projection system, reclining seats, food service, and a full bar, providing the city of Jackson with its only movie screen.

The reimagined Capri will offer firstrun and classic movies as well as live music.

Adjacent to the Capri, the group is opening a bowling alley with a restaurant and two bars.

Ed’s will have rooftop seating and bar.

“We are thrilled to bring Ed’s Burger Joint to Jackson,” says St. John. “I have always thought Fondren was the coolest neighborhood in the largest city in the state, and to have the opportunity to bring a movie theater and bowling alley – in addition to a restaurant and tiki bar – seems like a perfect fit for the casual, yet creative, vibe of Fondren.”

Ed’s Burger Joint is known for its authentic, fresh burgers, decadent shakes and homemade frozen pops.

The historic Capri will be Jackson’s only movie house, offer seating for 170 and will

Courtesy of Wier Boerner Allin/For the MBJ

The Pearl will be a Tiki bar and the the High Ball Lanes will have a full-service restaurant cocktail bar, as well as 10 lanes for bowling

have a state-of-the-art projection system, reclining seats, food service, and a full bar.

Adjacent to the Capri will be a bowling alley with a restaurant and two bars.

Highball Lanes, offering 10 lanes, boutique games, and a full-service restaurant and cocktail bar with cuisine inspired by St. John’s Crescent City Grill in Hattiesburg.

The Pearl will offer tiki cocktails and small plates. The other businesses will be located in existing buildings in the Fondren strip, which will be rehabilitated to meet the standards for historic renovations.

The project will also include enhanced parking behind the State Street development.

“Fondren is already a thriving destination for shopping and dining, and this development will strengthen its reputation as a gathering spot, with some 30,000 square feet of entertainment and dining options,” St. John said.

With help from the city of Jackson and the Mississippi Development Authority, the project has qualified for the Mississippi Tourism Incentive Program.

The developers have worked extensively with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History to plan the necessary restoration work.

Construction is set to begin this fall, with completion in third quarter of 2020. Wier Boerner Allin is the architect, and Copeland & Johns, Inc. is the general contractor.

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4 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, 2019 TOURISM

Algal bloom cost Mississippi Coast tourism $4.1 million in June, July

By JACK WEATHERLY jack.weatherly@msbusiness.com

Courtesy of Mississippi Department of Marine Resources

The first of beach “outfalls,” which will replace old pipes and enhance the appearance of coastal beaches, was dedicated last week.

Beaches on the Mississippi Gulf Coast reopened earlier this month after a summer-long shutdown due to a harmful algal bloom caused by an influx of fresh water from upstream flooding.

The good news follows a loss of $4.1 million, or 3 percent to 8 percent, in room revenue for June and July at hotels along the three-county coast, according to Coastal Mississippi, which promotes tourism in the area.

Occupancy was down 2 percent to 5 percent for those months, year over year. Figures are not available for the full summer.

Ancillary businesses absorbed a much heavier toll from water conditions.

Beach vendors, fishing charters and other support businesses saw revenue decreases of up to 70 percent.

The tourism industry in the three coastal counties – Hancock, Harrison and Jackson – brought in $2 billion in 2017, about onethird of the statewide figure of $6.4 billion, according to Coastal Mississippi.

“We are delighted that the . . . mainland water are once again open for swimming,” Coastal Mississippi Chief Executive Milton

Segarra said in a release. “The fall months in this region provide the perfect weather conditions to spend a relaxing day on our 26 miles of white sand beaches.

The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources announced in July that seafood from the reduction of coastal waters was safe to eat after the contamination by bluegreen algae that could cause rashes, vomiting and diarrhea ceased.

The algal bloom had been caused by an abundance of nonsaline water dumped into the Mississippi Sound after the floodgates of the Bonnet Carre Spillway were opened in late February to protect upstream land from flooding. The spillway dumped the excess water into Lake Pontchartrain. That water found its way to the Gulf.

The spillway was shut down in late July.

Record-length flooding on the river, which inundated about 250,000 agricultural acres in the Mississippi Delta in the spring, led to the unprecedented downstream use of the spillway to protect New Orleans.

Another bit of good news is the unveiling on Wednesday of the first of Harrison County “outfalls” along the beaches.

Gov. Phil Bryant said in a release issued in November that “these new water outfalls along the Mississippi Gulf Coast will dramatically improve the visual aesthetic along our beaches and reduce sand erosion.”

Necaise Brothers, a Long Beach company, won the construction contract for three of the structures, which cost $5.2 million including engineering done by Gulfport-based Covington Engineering. Design was done by Dale Partners of Jackson.

SPORTS

NCAA board approves athlete compensation for image, likeness

VOTE NOVEMBER 5 PAID FOR BY DELBERT HOSEMANN

The NCAA Board of Governors took the first step Tuesday toward allowing amateur athletes to cash in on their fame, voting unanimously to permit them to “benefit from the use of their name, image and likeness.”

The United States’ largest governing body for college athletics realized that it “must embrace change to provide the best possible experience for college athletes,” the board said in a news release issued after the vote at Emory University in Atlanta.

The NCAA and its member schools now must figure out how to allow athletes to profit while still maintaining rules regarding amateurism. The board asked each of the NCAA’s three divisions to create the necessary new rules beginning immediately and have them in place no later than January 2021.

“The board is emphasizing that change must be consistent with the values of college sports and higher education and not turn student-athletes into employees of institutions,” said board chair Michael V. Drake.

A group of NCAA administrators has been exploring since May the ways in which athletes could be allowed to receive compensation for the use of their names, images and likenesses. The task

force, led by Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith and Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman, presented a status report Tuesday to the Board of Governors, composed of university presidents.

The NCAA’s shift came a month after California passed a law that would make it illegal for NCAA schools in the state to prohibit college athletes from making money on such activities as endorsements, autograph signings and social media advertising.

California’s law goes into effect in 2023. More than a dozen states have followed with similar legislation; some are hoping to have laws in effect as soon as 2020.

The NCAA has said state laws that contradict the national governing body’s rules could lead to athletes being declared ineligible or schools not being allowed to compete.

There is also a federal bill in the works, sponsored

by North Carolina Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Walker, that could prevent the NCAA and its member schools from restricting its athletes from selling the rights to their names, images and likenesses to third-party buyers on the open market.

— MBJ Staff & Wire Reports

September 2019

Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, 2019

Q

Mississippi 5.6 Mississippi Business Journal Q U.S. 3.3

DeSoto 4.6

5 Tunica 6.0

Tate 5.9

MISSISSIPPI’S SEPT. UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURES

UNITED STATES Labor Force Data Civilian Labor Force Unemployed Unemployment Rate Employed STATE OF MISSISSIPPI Unemployment Insurance Data •• Initial UI Claims Continued Claims Benefits Paid Weeks Paid First Payments Final Payments Average Weekly Benefit

SEPT ‘19 163,943,000 5,465,000 3.3 158,478,000

AUG ‘18 1,285,200 72,500 5.6 1,212,700

AUG ‘18 164,019,000 6,203,000 3.8 157,816,000

SEPT 2019 3,936 35,109 $4,841,136 23,288 1,523 487 $207.88

SEPT ‘18 1,265,300 54,900 4.3 1,210,400

SEPT ‘18 161,958,000 5,766,000 3.6 156,191,000

AUG 2018 4,401 38,778 $5,556,479 27,254 1,893 431 $203.88

‘18 Avg. 1,275,700 60,700 4.8 1,215,000

‘18 Avg. 162,075,000 6,314,000 3.9 155,761,000

SEPT 2018 3,298 31,255 $4,102,758 19,860 1,202 364 $206.58

Alcorn 5.1

Tippah 5.3

Tishomingo 5.4

Union 4.5

Coahoma 7.3

Yalobusha 5.5

Calhoun 5.3

Leflore 7.4

Carroll 6.6

Montgomery 6.2

Humphreys 9.2 Sharkey 7.2

Moving Avg.** 163,116,000 6,084,000 3.7 157,032,000

Holmes 10.1

Yazoo 6.4

Issaquena 9.8

Lowndes 5.4

Oktibbeha 5.9

Choctaw 5.2

Winston 5.7

Attala 6.3

Monroe 5.7

Clay 7.5

Webster 5.9

Washington 7.8

Itawamba 5.1

Chickasaw 5.8

Grenada 5.4

Sunflower 8.8

Lee 4.8

Pontotoc 4.7

Bolivar 7.1

Moving Avg.** 1,277,000 65,000 5.1 1,212,000

Lafayette 4.5

Quitman 8.1 Tallahatchie 5.5

SEPT ‘19 1,289,800 71,700 5.6 1,218,100

Benton 6.7

Prentiss 5.0

Panola 6.4

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

Marshall 6.1

Leake 5.7

Neshoba 6.3

Scott 4.5

Newton 5.7

Noxubee 8.0

Kemper 8.3

Madison 4.5 Warren 6.1 Rankin 4.1

Hinds 5.4

Claiborne 11.2 Jefferson 15.7 Adams 7.1

Wilkinson 10.8

Franklin 7.5

Lincoln 5.5

Amite 7.2

Pike 6.7

Covington Jones 5.0 5.7

Walthall 7.7

Marion 5.5

— Mississippi Department of Employment Security

9.3 - 15.7

6.2 - 9.2 9.3 - 15.7

Lamar 4.2

Pearl River 5.3

Hancock 5.6

Clarke 6.5

Wayne 6.5

Lawrence Jeff Davis 6.8 6.8

Unemployment Rates

** Average for most recent twelve months, including current month Rates •• Unemployment Insurance amounts presented in this section only represent regular UI benefits, federal program amounts areUnemployment not 4.1 4.7 included.

4.1 - 4.7 Labor force amounts are produced in cooperation with the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

4.8 - 6.1 4.8 - 6.1 Note: Unless indicated state and county data presented are not seasonally adjusted.

6.2 - 9.2

Jasper 6.7

Smith 5.2

Simpson 5.1

Copiah 6.5

Lauderdale 5.8

Forrest 5.1

Perry 6.6

Stone 6.3

Harrison 5.3

Greene 7.7

George 7.4

Jackson 6.1

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

6 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, 2019 DISTRIBUTION

AGRIBUSINESS

SEPHORA HIRES 100TH DISABLED WORKER AT OLIVE BRANCH PLANT

CAL-MAINE TO BUY

Sephora, the leading prestige omni-retailer and the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services are celebrating a partnership that has resulted in the hiring of 100 individuals with disabilities at the company’s U.S. distribution warehouse in Olive Branch.

“We are proud to share that, in just over one year, we have reached our milestone of placing 100 people with disabilities into a career at Sephora,” Tom Gustafson, Vice President of Human Resources for Sephora, said in a release. “We couldn’t have done this without the partnership of the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services.

“At Sephora, we believe that belonging is now more important than ever and as an industry-leading retailer we can help shape the expectation of what recruiting, hiring and training can look like, for all.”

Discussions concerning the private/public partnership began in 2016 as Sephora was building its Olive Branch facility and culminated in 2017 with the first training class. ” Individuals with disabilities are some of the most dedicated employees you will have,” said Chris Howard, Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services.

The milestone was reached in early October, 14 months after Sephora opened the fourth of its five U.S. distribution centers.

BANKING

FIRST BANCSHARES INCOME RISES FOR QUARTER The First Bancshares Inc., holding company for The First, reported on Monday net income of $12.3 million for the quarter ending Sept. 30, an increase of $7.1 million, or 137.7 percent, compared with $5.2 million for the year-ago quarter.

Earnings per share were 71 cents, compared with 39 cents a year earlier. Excluding the impact of the merger-related costs, operating earnings per share for the third quarter of 2019 were 74 cents compared with 61 cents for the third quarter of 2018.

The First Bancshares, headquartered in Hattiesburg, has operations in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and Georgia.

On July 22, the company announced the signing of an agreement to acquire First Florida Bancorp Inc. parent company of First Florida Bank, headquartered in Destin, Fla. Shares of FirstBancshares common stock on the NasdaqGM market rose 13 cents to close at $32.25 on Monday. The 52-week ranges of the stock is $27.85 to $39.02.

TEXAS COMPANY Cal-Maine Foods Inc. has reached a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of Mahard Egg Farm, relating to its commercial shell egg production, processing, distribution and sale of shell eggs business. The assets to be acquired nclude commercial shell egg production and processing facilities with current capacity for approximately 3.9 million laying hens and permitted capacity for up to 8 million laying hens, a feed mill, pullets and related production facilities located in Chillicothe, Texas, and Nebo, Okla., and a distribution warehouse located in Gordonville, Texas. The company expects to close the transaction in the next few weeks.

Dolph Baker, chairman and chief executive officer of Cal-Maine, said that with the acquisition “we have an opportunity to reach more customers in Texas and southern Oklahoma.”

Cal-Maine is primarily engaged in the production, grading, packing and sale of fresh shell eggs, including conventional, cage-free, organic and nutritionally-enhanced eggs. The company, which is headquartered in Jackson, is the largest producer and distributor of fresh shell eggs in the United States and sells the majority of its shell eggs in states across the southwestern, southeastern, mid-western and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.

DINING

Cultivation Food Hall adds ‘Greek Down South’ vendor Cultivation Food Hall announces a new vendor, Atlas, a concept that owner Chad Segrest describes as “Greek Down South.” The menu features Greek staples such as a hummus plate, falafel, salads and gyros, each with a street food approach and Southern twist.

Cultivation Food Hall is on the ground floor of the BankPlus Building in The District at Eastover in Jackson.

Additional vendors are Bocca Pizzeria, Fête au Fête, Gold Coast Bar, Il Lupo Coffee, Local Honey, Poké Stop and Whisk Crêperie.

A native of Jackson, Segrest considers Greek food his version of comfort food. The approach is most evident in Atlas’ house-made dressings, including Feta Comeback and Feta Ranch. Wrap selections include a lamb gyro, roasted chicken, pan seared redfish, falafel or ham & cheese, all with the option of either a pita or lettuce wrap. The Atlas Fries are served as cyclone-sliced potato skewers with Feta Comeback.

Atlas is open Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more on Atlas, follow @atlasgreek on Instagram and @atlasgreekdownsouth on Facebook.

— MBJ Staff Report

AGRIBUSINESS MANUFACTURING Aussie agri company opens plant in Greenville, Jones Lumber plans $18M expansion in Natchez, will hire 68 Crop protection company Nufarm celebrated the grand opening of the company’s operations in Greenville. The project is a $20 million investment and will create 68 jobs.

“As a predominantly agricultural state, the Nufarm team could not have chosen a better location for its new operations,” Gov. Phil Bryant said in a release. “I know the skilled workforce found in Greenville and Washington County will ensure Nufarm’s success in our state for generations to come.”

Headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, Nufarm is one of the world’s leading crop protection and seeds companies. Nufarm’s products help farmers protect their crops against damage caused by weeds, pests and disease. The company is located in the former Matcor building, which it purchased from the city of Greenville.

Greenville is Nufarm’s first location in Mississippi.

The company expects to be fully staffed by 2022.

“The opening of Nufarm Greenville is a milestone for our business,” said Nufarm CEO Greg Hunt. “It broadens our manufacturing footprint, helping to get products to our customers here in the Delta and the whole of North America with greater efficiency, providing flexibility and choice at a time it’s needed most.”

The Mississippi Development Authority provided a $350,000 grant for rail improvements and the Washington County Economic Alliance provided $200,000 to construct a rail line.

adding 35 jobs

Jones Lumber Co. is expanding its Mississippi grade-lumber operations with an $18-million corporate investment in Natchez that will create 35 jobs.

Jones Lumber has operations in locations throughout Mississippi, all of which produce hardwood mats.

In January 2018, the company acquired the former Rives and Reynolds lumber mill in Natchez, where it will specialize in grade lumber. Jones retained Rives and Reynolds’ existing 50 employees, and the company is investing in new equipment and facility upgrades.

“Jones Lumber Co. is looking forward to our growth in Natchez, and our investment in and expansion of our facility indicates our commitment to the area, Chief Financial Officer Chad Ervin said in a release.

The Mississippi Development Authority is providing a $234,243 grant for road improvements. Adams County is providing matching funds in the amount of $24,000. Adams County also is granting property tax abatements.

“Mississippi ranks first in the U.S. in the number of tree farms, comprising approximately 20 million acres of forestland. The Mississippi Development Authority is proud to support Jones Lumber as they optimize our timber resources to achieve their goals in Mississippi,” said MDA Executive Director Glenn McCullough Jr.

HEALTH

Southwest Health System, UMMC announce health care affiliation A new affiliation between Southwest Health System in McComb and the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson will strengthen and expand health care services in McComb and southwest Mississippi.

The affiliation brings the advanced health care offerings of Mississippi’s only academic medical center to Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center, a 165-bed, progressive hospital with a medical staff of nearly 100 physicians representing 12 medical specialties.

The working relationship allows 1,200-employee Southwest Health System to enhance its strong medical staff, expand its health care services and improve access to treatment through UMMC’s medical outreach. The agreement allows UMMC and Southwest to explore future research and education opportunities.

Expanded access to state-of-the-art care will enable more McComb-area residents to stay home for treatment, said Kevin Cook, chief executive officer of the UMMC Health System.

— MBJ Staff Reports

Sept. 2019 sales tax receipts/year to date, July 1 MISSISSIPPI STATE TAX COMMISSION Here are cities’ earnings through sales tax collections. Sales tax has a three-month cycle.

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

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

Sept.

Sept.

Year to date YTD CITY 2019 2018 2019 2018 Abbeville 4168.41 3428.21 12968.7 10935.9 Aberdeen 71,048.87 69408.11 216897.81 213581.2 Ackerman 24,330.52 25784.04 75047.59 74233.88 Alcorn State University 0 0 0 0 Algoma 3,356.48 3013.41 13684.12 8255.6 Alligator 163.01 315.26 598.73 1017.68 Amory 166,842.00 157605.9 491580.18 491529.63 Anguilla 1,675.63 1329.3 5131.51 5009.12 Arcola 1,024.07 731.87 3136.1 2251.5 Artesia 2,055.48 688.78 13331.87 2138.08 Ashland 12,425.33 12926.08 36053.26 37279.66 Baldwyn 44,674.98 45194.19 138010.67 133925.89 Bassfield 12,506.36 13426.01 37601.41 41011.8 Batesville 388,792.35 376529.6 1145065.38 1162618.19 Bay Springs 62,512.65 57475.96 177058.23 170302.82 Bay St. Louis 137,090.02 146029.95 455797.12 433583.59 Beaumont 8,714.67 8887.75 27636.02 28244.85 Beauregard 322.37 208.38 981.96 661.8 Belmont 27,476.93 28302.21 84835.64 82066.92 Belzoni 35,554.60 35222.77 105159.61 103938.44 Benoit 2,139.81 1988.01 5935.96 8142.22 Bentonia 10,580.22 12382.01 32961.44 35140.04 Beulah 269.62 264.8 772.43 915.61 Big Creek 262.96 269.38 795.72 881.54 Biloxi 1,069,408.03 1063502.46 3324653.05 3492842.7 Blue Mountain 9,692.57 10041.88 30706.02 29422.74 Blue Springs 2,809.85 2089.59 6550.92 6512.79 Bolton 14,027.07 14326.01 43621.07 45234.66 Booneville 160,491.75 177592.25 470571.71 494083.1 Boyle 26,724.91 23853.32 68159.13 73949.44 Brandon 542,160.68 498511.97 1562685.85 1531107.43 Braxton 1,575.46 1745.85 4102.62 4577.79 Brookhaven 499,615.00 484742.81 1473877.45 1407683.8 Brooksville 9,303.68 9375.38 28378.59 28152.21 Bruce 39,744.68 37511.83 119879.31 117561.96 Bude 11,605.08 12145.59 33641.46 34636.24 Burnsville 14,912.60 16331.86 42531.11 44158.94 Byhalia 92,565.20 66894.75 240607.06 210905.31 Byram 264,112.78 234633.07 760635.26 726927.37 Caledonia 14,792.54 14824.16 43639.89 44253.47 Calhoun City 22,077.47 23013.82 69803.77 70264.61 Canton 262,916.34 266880.81 731578.85 772714.78 Carrollton 5,672.44 6264.46 18118.55 20044.6 Carthage 148,164.53 154096.55 439172.57 446209.9 Cary 1,546.18 1492.01 2927.05 4197.9 Centreville 16,997.31 18753.71 52092.52 56431.11 Charleston 30,416.17 28543.88 87143.67 87414.02 Chunky 497.39 500.13 1768 2007.09 Clarksdale 226,445.33 213501.07 655785.93 636909.38 Cleveland 352,917.99 315648.03 971072.46 904224.24 Clinton 417,114.52 388408.03 1206113.97 1143314.28 Coahoma 412.48 362.5 1366.21 1350.01 Coahoma Community College 451.00 489.8 502.97 549.02 Coffeeville 9,894.97 10230.09 29563.8 32205.79 Coldwater 21,827.72 20967.36 61954.87 65978.43 Collins 152,561.89 144774.5 464383.85 436048.11 Columbia 277,382.72 274029.92 826068.78 810560.95 Columbus 814,552.90 808523.17 2408936.66 2388918.65 Como 17,010.11 18128 41321.99 51903.05 Corinth 521,334.24 513154.98 1573193.96 1557141.81 Courtland 1,048.94 1367.73 3197.9 4134.56 Crawford 1,531.30 1385.51 4432.02 4503.63 Crenshaw 5,227.48 5215.84 16312.24 16268.66 Crosby 466.97 1020.61 2037.74 3380.84 Crowder 2,199.64 1347.71 5636.64 5756.46 Cruger 359.96 302.56 995 1011.96 Crystal Springs 71,968.86 65418.1 202322.63 196115.31 D’Iberville 656,613.13 613204.92 2048817.38 1951594.41 D’Lo 1,375.01 1725.54 4580.58 40775.54 Decatur 14,198.64 14025.48 37929.7 36721.79 Dekalb 17,991.59 18860.55 51673.65 56824.01 Derma 9,794.47 11185.45 30669.63 26371.99 Diamondhead 56,812.85 62159.49 174216.98 186803.07 Doddsville 415.62 678.05 1626.39 1940.38 Drew 5,696.04 6165.81 18868.5 19719.93 Duck Hill 3,086.05 3747.49 10041.85 12789.15 Dumas 1,973.89 945.67 6366.04 2964.76 Duncan 0.00 674.32 0.00 3063.72 Durant 35,133.87 33368.6 109927.71 130736.17 East Mississippi Community College 1,006.43 1044.48 1066.74 1131.71 Ecru 11,562.85 10653.04 35473.62 30535.79 Eden 268.93 62.09 757.09 233.87 Edwards 5,900.44 6057.66 19321.49 19199.34 Ellisville 91,008.30 83036.28 263036.76 237109.99 Enterprise 5,489.15 5373.99 16136.24 16690.31 Ethel 2,194.37 1885.08 6597.41 6693.57 Eupora 34,037.76 33886.71 103522.46 106435.78 Falcon 56.00 128.56 204.56 700.72 Falkner 5,105.06 5146.12 16354.14 15589.88 Farmington 5,852.76 5721.2 17025.14 16905.27 Fayette 18,604.49 16044.1 50843.23 47132.13 Flora 29,759.46 32495.81 85898.86 101563.26 Florence 66,487.07 74458.23 199433.17 225319.38 Flowood 1,016,127.82 982096.2 2962162.68 3010998.07 Forest 195,355.69 191552.54 585704.79 583389.78 French Camp 1,642.02 1282.03 5030.63 3666.93 Friars Point 2,477.37 5637.47 6450.75 12551.2

Fulton 136,051.75 Gattman 101.25 Gautier 183,094.72 Georgetown 3,534.62 Glen 3,812.77 Glendora 200.44 Gloster 13,106.15 Golden 4,339.03 Goodman 4,294.28 Greenville 473,684.83 Greenwood 393,462.49 Grenada 428,460.91 Gulfport 1,917,015.25 Gunnison 647.65 Guntown 15,587.82 Hatley 1,609.15 Hattiesburg 1,890,196.11 Hazlehurst 120,074.68 Heidelberg 15,545.82 Hernando 340,630.08 Hickory 17,358.13 Hickory Flat 6,277.01 Hinds Community College 983.22 Hollandale 14,463.25 Holly Springs 115,130.30 Horn Lake 487,375.13 Houlka 8,207.96 Houston 91,810.18 Indianola 160,569.68 Inverness 4,728.49 Isola 2,005.87 Itta Bena 11,862.31 Iuka 71,826.93 Jackson 2,405,935.39 Jonestown 2,902.36 Jumpertown 1,685.40 Kilmichael 5,273.15 Kosciusko 183,470.48 Kossuth 3,658.87 Lake 24,963.63 Lambert 2,043.19 Laurel 791,771.11 Leakesville 27,227.54 Learned 1,033.33 Leland 45,700.36 Lena 1,820.58 Lexington 32,011.46 Liberty 21,744.49 Long Beach 121,557.28 Louin 3,035.38 Louise 1,828.16 Louisville 146,897.75 Lucedale 197,924.33 Lula 801.68 Lumberton 12,193.15 Lyon 1,373.16 Maben 7,405.17 Macon 49,273.13 Madison 777,319.02 Magee 193,703.47 Magnolia 43,611.11 Mantachie 16,608.96 Mantee 2,745.20 Marietta 4,369.90 Marion 20,085.78 Marks 14,745.67 Mathiston 17,191.37 Mayersville 686.24 McComb 461,628.42 McCool 258.06 McLain 4,057.43 Meadville 10,385.58 Mendenhall 64,316.87 Meridian 1,195,988.43 Merigold 7,356.93 Metcalfe 896.55 Mississippi Gulf Coast CC 870.77 Mississippi State University 31,131.00 Mississippi Valley State Univ. 402.12 Mize 6,114.01 Monticello 40,229.48 Montrose 356.97 Moorhead 7,413.27 Morgan City 461.01 Morton 39,058.07 Moss Point 178,666.09 Mound Bayou 3,944.64 Mt. Olive 8,880.62 Myrtle 4,038.88 Natchez 450,086.22 Nettleton 32,335.27 New Albany 291,868.91 New Augusta 12,281.86 New Hebron 6,803.96 Newton 84,460.95 North Carrollton 2,398.83 Noxapater 7,333.46 Oakland 6,563.26 Ocean Springs 460,451.23 Okolona 24,980.98 Olive Branch 993,097.61 Osyka 5,387.01 Oxford 848,488.70 Pace 426.06 Pachuta 3,658.12 Paden 153.81

133902.33 109.03 185430.67 3429.59 3956.96 328.12 11083.36 4303.04 3760.95 487833.18 393885.5 387508.39 1800650.78 588.11 17138.75 1812.19 1915150.31 113616.13 20007.33 306620.74 8549.53 7186.11 889.9 14463.44 114091.48 429832.11 8008.52 88348.29 154249.68 5200.84 1813.31 11218.2 74226.87 2471718.39 2772.41 1532 5741.53 177424.44 4671.78 22653.66 2018.26 755072.1 24844.02 888.4 53749.66 2108.4 30614.06 21598.09 121445.62 3066.93 836.65 149704.49 187983.01 979.66 12730.63 1567.67 7380.68 49144.24 711608.75 183271.19 41935.19 19327.26 2154.72 4566.18 18800.79 14643.13 16607.58 606.79 466138.78 317.57 3599.61 10081.85 58024.01 1148243.4 7130.64 914.49 1090.27 40775.87 437.14 10344.36 39594.62 109.38 7873.6 434.73 41295.38 178698.77 3958.22 8436.26 4169.35 429761.8 33255.74 277450.28 11937.73 6177.88 82603.72 4307.19 8209.74 6619.55 428288.94 23302.69 895381.46 5237.55 847736.14 357.36 3290.16 51.32

390594.43 293.05 588072.82 11405.14 11959.41 829.33 40419.16 11823.75 12140.03 1447491.79 1117424.29 1178403.46 5857264.16 1855.1 48130.66 4856.56 5603921.3 354410.58 44990.73 966940.85 35887.3 19047.83 2687.15 44338.15 340222.84 1469096.05 23941.76 274039.53 467393.86 15715.49 5864.98 35896.39 225651.75 6922755.59 9233.67 5347.05 16847.53 535909.85 11588.25 73313.41 6653.84 2338746.83 80519.56 3113.35 142486.48 5628.26 96593.29 61950.48 383055.89 9072.3 6100.31 450247.95 583332.62 2555.44 39899.26 5785.46 21800.53 149396.45 2280056.19 581744.53 127160.66 49825.73 6080.07 13340.21 59743.44 43935.07 51670.13 1952.35 1388772.06 795.67 13331.35 32100.21 184477.62 3523844.87 21382.96 2597.2 1161.77 91204.99 841.05 26601.43 116789.94 3027.33 21349.32 1358.97 127265.86 529684.22 11623.83 26492.4 12553.74 1299253.93 101473.69 872502.13 35793.08 19020.77 250282.32 8055.73 22810.07 20533.41 1335570.11 72927.69 2899212.32 15798.16 2365308.83 1321.32 11016.53 441.9

389261.08 393.7 575841.56 11474.92 11498.86 1245.7 34836.09 11895.18 10210.32 1502176.68 1119667.73 1154283.27 5755137.65 2056.11 51483.54 5350.8 5671564.85 342844.04 54344.91 931316.01 22967.26 20635.29 2549.84 44889.69 346686.83 1317549.18 24903.08 265772.86 456096.61 15786.01 5617.45 33758.98 244956.1 7237301.33 8666.64 5048.62 17816.17 535552.16 14137.18 65646.29 6232.14 2234230.64 80620.98 2809.58 157308.07 6947.24 97052.63 64809.58 369206.03 6649.77 3434.14 456781.19 567583.08 2953.28 39977.57 5299.7 22805.22 144143.72 2138343.48 555259.09 128725.2 55691.38 6504.69 13399.04 56607.96 46554.95 49605.76 2257.52 1442620.71 1476.72 11887.01 32659.14 174588.6 3525022.4 21366.47 3020.71 1444.33 97474 824.6 32892.96 119342.39 641.37 22191.64 1537.55 120290.18 547622.57 11394.77 25629.42 13011.9 1291712.46 95176.09 872592.31 36734.78 18190.78 245180.57 11393.12 25021.25 20664.45 1303736.3 70446.53 2738636.38 15227.64 2283956.69 1298.58 9999.74 179.75

Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, 2019

Q

Pascagoula 455,735.61 Pass Christian 129,027.38 Paulding 53.73 Pearl 945,397.15 Pelahatchie 31,040.33 Petal 234,783.68 Philadelphia 350,693.05 Picayune 401,435.61 Pickens 6,309.78 Pittsboro 1,449.00 Plantersville 12,162.89 Polkville 1,271.66 Pontotoc 215,611.23 Pope 4,366.86 Poplarville 86,855.80 Port Gibson 39,135.17 Potts Camp 6,525.17 Prentiss 30,651.54 Puckett 9,367.01 Purvis 76,220.53 Quitman 47,157.34 Raleigh 18,251.54 Raymond 23,979.38 Renova 3,722.60 Richland 570,149.69 Richton 28,819.07 Ridgeland 1,205,156.95 Rienzi 3,423.76 Ripley 127,413.49 Rolling Fork 34,088.39 Rosedale 9,451.22 Roxie 2,944.04 Ruleville 22,122.55 Sallis 569.94 Saltillo 91,743.32 Sandersville 13,614.79 Sardis 27,670.24 Satartia 100.21 Schlater 1,170.26 Scooba 7,628.17 Sebastopol 16,568.79 Seminary 13,471.77 Senatobia 200,241.29 Shannon 10,791.40 Shaw 3,216.95 Shelby 10,864.49 Sherman 54,418.89 Shubuta 3,469.33 Shuqualak 3,040.10 Sidon 347.74 Silver City 271.05 Silver Creek 2,068.79 Slate Springs 143.75 Sledge 1,292.40 Smithville 5,171.39 Snow Lake Shores 113.32 Soso 10,227.25 Southaven 1,196,698.32 Southwest Mississippi CC 176.96 Starkville 658,313.35 State Line 9,300.60 Stonewall 5,161.41 Sturgis 2,380.01 Summit 40,024.08 Sumner 3,729.96 Sumrall 49,126.17 Sunflower 2,334.95 Sylvarena 197.71 Taylor 2,207.28 Taylorsville 21,780.52 Tchula 4,910.12 Terry 24,635.00 Thaxton 4,112.82 Tishomingo 14,627.41 Toccopola 716.82 Tremont 2,014.31 Tunica 30,608.98 Tupelo 1,808,938.50 Tutwiler 5,261.25 Tylertown 54,426.92 Union 24,425.82 University Of Mississippi 44,483.89 Utica 8,352.40 Vaiden 16,123.90 Vardaman 11,001.47 Verona 20,761.32 Vicksburg 651,852.94 Walls 8,115.50 Walnut 21,464.99 Walnut Grove 4,812.38 Walthall 3,650.00 Water Valley 41,928.73 Waveland 208,090.24 Waynesboro 181,878.28 Webb 7,685.38 Weir 6,125.08 Wesson 13,664.97 West 849.48 West Point 203,090.30 Wiggins 166,881.95 Winona 76,301.86 Winstonville 245.69 Woodland 8,118.84 Woodville 24,770.54 Yazoo City 175,012.63 Total 38374791.01

Mississippi Business Journal 448623.12 126832.61 93.84 858678.64 34146.51 226601.56 340014.08 400526.28 5901.54 1524.59 8389.67 1173.69 209235.91 4488.95 86613.03 28601.97 6651.47 34727.29 8666.75 69350.7 44203.76 18284.91 23719.4 4323.06 532035.41 27913.65 1114202.29 3597.77 129159.45 35120.53 9657.6 3038.59 21719.84 945.17 77623.8 11233.06 27375.79 245.64 1161.09 7770.88 15803.05 13263.68 190146.79 11073.08 5750.15 10410.82 38822.13 3202.52 1515.38 953.61 256.17 2444.53 230.59 1474.88 5903.91 105.2 9676.21 1196725.91 252.74 615513.49 9737.07 5046.12 2340.74 38513.82 3895.31 53643.37 2903.76 234.86 2364.89 23875.01 7177.67 24053.17 4083.39 13845.63 709.13 1991.08 35506.29 1750998.75 6009.12 58310.65 23078.61 6384.28 8439.75 7868.75 11657.01 20970.78 644208.02 6827.89 21507.39 5035.9 1655.22 45823.93 216142.02 176849.96 7360.11 3071.19 13258.68 837.45 171563.6 157950.64 76292.57 211.94 7227.01 28577.51 161792.88 37094789.9

1371227.95 391588.92 173.34 2823196.6 95715.24 683620.4 1075634.82 1219686.21 15944.81 4875.03 23527.26 4108.63 628392.34 13619.74 254804.3 94916.62 20098.7 95362.14 28025.3 226656.31 143310.86 52393.52 61330.66 10879.58 1733278.41 86514.06 3452407.92 10469.42 358497.36 96191.17 27515.14 9084.45 63307.81 1684.46 273182.36 50329.44 83434.2 288.6 3365.76 22543.89 48445.92 40100.51 578996.95 33408.92 3,216.95 30582.4 146227.83 10712.43 6597.83 1108.71 821.09 6431.21 406.73 3709.39 16335.14 343.53 30506.86 3725770.41 316.88 1813811.42 29000.24 16513.14 8523.85 112696.48 8839.76 151298.35 7219.35 519.45 5917.94 68483.99 14001.85 69494.58 12499.03 42222.62 1884.07 6397.76 70280.26 5369244.62 16353.12 162401.15 72986.59 67292.83 23720.72 33365.67 33293.94 65313.27 1945223.51 32945.18 65303.33 14020.59 10231.81 127865.19 655633.43 540404.19 23255.5 12295.63 42024.7 2609.59 568752.71 499712.57 226733.94 786.98 20094.4 82647.11 518282.3 113349477.35

Q

7

1359528.31 392527.09 337.13 2633529.37 104585.65 677785.9 1059326.42 1214732.35 19518.31 5054.07 23479.02 4048.75 622350.31 15245.99 242191.47 83506.98 21462.93 98389.85 26224.36 206101.07 139557.41 52002.69 58489.63 11405.69 1544637.96 84855.57 3273789.82 11991.11 377134.37 97082.27 30162.97 8639.81 61980.61 3885.64 223040 40889.25 85908 822.8 3481.8 22914.56 49199.12 42060.97 571941.54 33210.28 19398.34 30836.28 112377.77 10404.3 5502.02 2747.72 985.13 7726.35 767.93 4152.8 17569.38 375.36 32032.12 3724798.72 354.08 1725074.63 30884.49 16942.42 11839.19 118539.89 10545.73 154214.1 8362.48 644.49 6968.93 72578.8 19989.29 75497.2 12654.75 40390.07 2096.87 5260.68 105950.11 5313747.41 14087.12 166282.41 71008.8 22770.18 24110.14 24348.79 34294.15 60938.27 2002772.15 27954.62 65214.01 15549.44 4394.29 134624.83 664554.53 542763.47 21958.72 10333.85 39783 2811.65 502319.74 482670.11 234079.44 702.84 19818.62 87544.85 500836.31 111977233.38

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MBJ PERSPECTIVE

Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, 2019 • www.msbusiness.com • Page 8

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Website: www.msbusiness.com Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, 2019 Volume 41, Number 35

Reeves’ off-therecord interview offer raises concern

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» INSIDE MISSISSIPPI

NASH NUNNERY Contributing Writer mbj@msbusiness.com • 364-1018

Lieutenant governor race key for Republicans

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efore the general election, the Daily Journal editorial board invited each Republican and Democratic candidate for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general to meet with us for an interview no later than a couple weeks prior to the election.

Republican Lynn Fitch and Democrat Jennifer Riley Collins, candidates for attorney general, accepted our invitation and we reported on those meetings in the Daily Journal.

Republican Delbert Hosemann and Democrat Jay Hughes, candidates for lieutenant governor, accepted our invitation and we reported on those meetings in the Daily Journal.

Democrat Jim Hood, candidate for governor, accepted our invitation and we reported on that meeting in the Daily Journal.

Republican Tate Reeves, candidate for governor, responded three weeks after our initial invitation through his deputy communications director. “We are doing off the record editorial board meetings the week of October 28th, in time for endorsements to be made the final Sunday before the election.”

We acknowledged that all the other candidates met with the editorial board within the timeframe and we were more than willing to work with Reeves’ schedule since he made several trips to Tupelo during this time.

We emphasized that all of our editorial board interviews are on the record so that we can share a candidate’s ideas and position on the issues with our readers. Candidate interviews with the editorial board provided a forum for the candidates to discuss their platforms and included a question-and-answer period.

We received no response and our editorial board was not able to interview gubernatorial candidate Reeves for our readers.

This is disappointing to us and, in turn, our readers. But of concern is the response “we are doing off the record editorial board meetings.”

When an elected official running for the state’s top office wants to speak to newspaper editorial boards off the record, one has to wonder how transparent he will be if elected, and how well the candidate can explain his vision for Mississippi with questions that go much deeper than looking for a sound bite response.

The goal of our editorial board is not to pick one candidate over another. No one candidate has all the answers. We believe in endorsing the best ideas we gathered during these positive give-and-take meetings. We believe great ideas for Mississippi go beyond party affiliation. Like one candidate said during the meetings, “When the election is over, I have to work across aisles to get things done for Mississippi. We have to govern or Mississippi will not move forward.” We agree!

T

he key election for Mississippi Republicans on Nov. 5 is not the race for governor, rather it is the race for lieutenant governor.

Two reasons.

First, as we learned during Tate Reeves’ tenure, a strong lieutenant governor can command the agenda of state government.

Second, Republican nominee Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann can turn the party’s focus back toward conservative problem solving.

As Mississippi Today wrote, “The lieutenant governor has the sole ability to appoint members, vice-chairmen, and chairmen to the various Senate committees, regardless of which party has control of the chamber. Given that power, it is argued that the office is more powerful than the governorship.”

Or, as one wag put it, for a bill to become a law, it needs the governor’s signature but for a bill to even get a vote it needs the lieutenant governor’s blessing.

That sentiment was echoed when Mississippi Public Radio reporter Jeffery Hess explained to an out-ofstate reporter, “The lieutenant governor, as the head of the senate, has far more power than the governor due to his ability to assign which bills

will be heard by which committees in the senate.”

For these reaBILL CRAWFORD sons, Democratic challenger, State Rep. Jay Hughes upsetting Hosemann would be far worse for Republicans than Reeves losing to Attorney General Hood.

Reeves used the extraordinary power of the lieutenant governor’s office to strangle government spending in order to provide tax cuts, primarily tax cuts to corporations. As a result, the resources needed to address critical problem areas in Mississippi have been scarce. Lack of progress on such problems is a key factor in Reeves’ tight race against Hood.

The litany of these problem areas is well known: the highway and bridge funding crisis; the teacher shortage crisis; the growing risk of rural hospital and emergency room closures; the mental health care crisis in the midst of court ordered changes; lack of skilled workers and cuts to community college budgets; and talent brain drain.

Hosemann has put forward an See xxxx, Page 9

— Daily Journal

Perspective

» RICKY NOBILE

Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, 2019

Q

Mississippi Business Journal

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CRAWFORD

Continued from, Page 8

agenda to address such issues from a conservative approach. Oh, he does want government to be more efficient, but he understands that government must function effectively if Republicans are going to maintain their majority over time. Consequently, key policy statements in his campaign include (quotations from a Jackson Free Press questionnaire): Shoring up rural hospitals by considering and evaluating healthcare reform solutions implemented in other states with no net impact on the state budget. “No Mississippians should be 30 minutes from a facility equipped to provide necessary treatment.”

Supporting immediate action to remedy the teacher shortage. “Fully funding our public schools is a goal we will and must move toward.”

Committing to the construction and maintenance of our roads and bridges. “Potholes, road closures, and barricaded bridges are still plaguing communities across Mississippi.”

Enacting policy to grow a skilled workforce and support for community colleges.

Hughes focused his answers in the Jackson Free Press questionnaire on education, health care, and transparency. So far he has been unable to find a viable wedge issue to use against Hosemann.

A pragmatic conservative with a proven record in applying a business-like approach to government, Hosemann has the skills to move Republicans from a destructive anti-government agenda to a conservative good government agenda. He also would be in position to salvage the party should the unexpected happen and Reeves loses to Hood. » Bill Crawford (crawfolk@gmail.com) is a syndicated columnist from Meridian.

» OP-ED

Supporting public schools is a faithful response

I

am the product of the Mississippi public school system. Both of my parents were public school teachers in Mississippi, and my husband currently works within the public school system in Mississippi.

My three children are receiving their education within our public schools, and my oldest has been in 3 different public school districts since she began kindergarten.

This is what I know. My children are loved and supported by wonderful teachers, and are being shaped in a positive way by their experience within our community public schools.

This is what I know. Ninety percent of all school age Mississippi children are educated in our public schools. Supporting public schools is a faithful response to my call as a person of faith to love my neighbor.

Every child has the right to an education and the best way for this to be fulfilled is for us to support public policies that ensure access for all children to free public school.

This is what I know. Mississippi is not currently providing adequate funding to meet the needs of every child because Mississippi is not adequately funding our public schools.

This is what I know. In the last seven years, Mississippi public schools have suf-

fered their worst underfunding ever. By underfunding MAEP, our Legislature is fostering inequity, and every child in every community deserves equitable, fully funded public education.

This is what I know. Mississippi pays our teachers less than any of our neighboring states.

This is what I know. Funding matters.

I am always amazed at what our teachers and our schools do for our children with the limited resources available. Just imag-

ine what fully funded public schools and supported teachers could do?

This is what I know. When we vote Nov. 5, a faithful response is one that votes for our public schools. A faithful response is a call to invest our time, energy, and resources into making our public schools the best they can be so that every child has access to clean and functional facilities, updated technology, programs for the ARTS and STEM, and teachers that are valued and paid a competitive wage. We cannot

accomplish this by diverting funds through vouchers or charter schools that have no oversight and that drain much needed resources from our public community schools.

A faithful response is one Dawn Flowers that invests in our children, and in our teachers and their families. Let us proclaim that we believe every child is of sacred worth, made in the image of God, and worthy of our time, our energy, our resources, and our love. As a people of faith, let us say to our children, you matter! Join Pastors for MS Children as we advocate for all of Mississippi’s children and our public schools.

Follow us on twitter @pastors4mskids or email us at pastors4mskids@gmail.com.

» REV. DAWN DOUGLAS FLOWERS Madison is part of a statewide, ecumenical clergy network working to mobilize the faith community to support our neighborhood and community schools. You can follow Pastors for MS Children on twitter, @pastors4mskids or email us at pastors4mskids@gmail. com.

Perspective

10 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, 2019 » FROM THE GROUND UP

Art is in the eye of the beholder

M

y wife loves art museums. I love car shows. We agree that art can be found in both places. We also agree that car shows and auto-related events can be an excellent way to attract visitors to a community.

Car shows and classic car events are growing in popularity. No doubt that the Baby Boomer generation’s love for nostalgia is a big factor. Add to that the fact that owners simply love to acquire and restore things, and the timing is perfect for an increasing number of really good automotive events.

My first car was a 1968 Camaro. I still pine for one of those even though my current car, a 2017 BMW 230i, is much safer and would run circles around it. As you might have guessed by now, I consider myself a “car guy.” I’m not sure why – and I don’t attempt to analyze why – I just like cars. I also like trains, but that’s another story.

During the weekend of Oct. 11-12, I was in one of the clouds of car guy heaven. I was fortunate enough to attend the inaugural Chattanooga Motorcar Festival. The highlight of the event was a series of time trials by various race cars on Riverfront Drive right downtown alongside the Tennessee River. Imagine some of the cars hitting over 130 miles per hour on a 1.5-mile public street loop closed for the event. Over 200 classic cars were on display, as well as many new supercars. Over 250 volunteers were involved in the event, and thousands were in attendance. Again, what an incredible way to attract visitors to the community.

My favorite part of the event was an exhibition by Tanner Foust, who showed off his tire-smoking drifting performances on the Time Trials circuit in a custom 900-HP, V8-powered Volkswagen Passat. Foust is a famous race car driver, but he might be most famous to some readers for his stunt-driving work on The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), The Bourne Legacy (2012) and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006). My second favorite part of the event was meeting and interviewing David Osborne, who appears on CNBC’s Jay Leno’s Garage as an expert appraiser.

I missed Cruisin’ the Coast this year because it was at

the same time as the Chattanooga event. It draws thousands to Mississippi every year and has become a top event for the classic car-loving community. Governor Phil Bryant and his classic 1955 Chevy Nomad are often a part of the fun. According to its website, the event involves over 700 volunteers and over 8,000 registered vehicles. It has received numerous tourism awards.

Also missed was the Renaissance Euro Fest, held the same weekend in Ridgeland. It features beautiful classic European autos on display on the streets of the Renaissance at Colony Park Shopping Center.

Another automotive event of note during the past year was the closing and auctioning of the contents of the Tupelo Automotive Museum. In attendance were Wayne Carini of the cable channel show, Chasing Classic Cars, and novelist Clive Cussler. Here’s the text of Cairn’s April 27, 2019, Facebook post: “Great morning with two American legends – novelist, explorer & collector car lover, Clive Cussler and the 1948 Tucker – hammered sold today for 1.8 million at the Bonhams Tupelo Automobile Museum auction.”

So what are the most desired classic cars? On July 11, 2018, ClassicCars.com published two reports that determined the Dodge Charger and Ford Mustang to be the most searched for collector cars in the U.S. And what are the country’s top automotive events? According to the knowhow.napaonline.com website, these are America’s Top 10 Classic Car Shows and Events (2018): 1. Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Pebble Beach, California Concours is French for “a parade of vintage vehicles.“ It is held on the third Sunday in August, bringing approximately 200 collector cars and motorcycles to the Pebble Beach Golf Links. This show is all about showcasing elegance.

2. The Woodward Dream Cruise, Detroit, Michigan Held on the third Saturday in August. With more than 40,000 classic cars on display, it is unrivaled in size. Cars cruise Woodward Avenue with more than 1 million people in attendance.

3. Charlotte Autofair, Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC Phil Hardwick Billed as the world’s largest automotive extravaganza, it is a four-day event held in April and repeated in September.

4. Amelia Concours d’Elegance, Amelia Island, near Jacksonville, Florida This three-day March classic car show at the Ritz-Carlton. Vintage vehicles.

5. The Elegance at Hershey, Hershey, Pennsylvania More than a static display, this mid-June Concours event also has a vintage race. Don’t forget to check out the chocolate.

6. Southwest Street Rod Nationals Plus, Oklahoma City, OK More than 1,700 vintage street rods and cars.

7. Hilton Head Motoring Festival and Concours d’Elegance, Hilton Head, SC Spanning 10 days, this South Carolina exposition is more than a classic car show. Indeed, it offers a speed classic, car club showcase and an aero show, capping the festivities with a Concours display.

8. Telluride Festival of Cars & Colors, Telluride, Colorado Held in September, it features fall foliage and old cars, including high-end restorations, vintage and exotic vehicles.

9. Iola Old Car Show & Swap Meet, Iola, Wisconsin Held in mid-July. It features more than 2,000 show cars and over 4,000 swap spaces.

10. The Texas Hoedown, Homestead, Texas Music and pre-1972 custom hot rods, muscle cars and choppers to the Waller County Fairgrounds on the fourth Saturday in May. To find a classic car event near you or to even bring an event (and lots of visitors) to your community, a good place to begin would be the Mississippi Classic Cruisers website at https://msclassiccruisers.com. » Phil Hardwick is a regular Mississippi Business Journal columnist. His email is phil@philhardwick. com.

» UNDER THE CAPITOL DOME

Secretary of state nominees differ on expanding early voting

T

wo candidates for secretary of state said Monday that they have different ideas about whether Mississippi should change its laws to expand early voting.

Under current Mississippi law, absentee voting is limited to people who have a temporary or permanent disability, are at least 65 years old or will be out of town on Election Day. The Republican nominee, state Sen. Michael Watson, said he sees no need to change the system.

“I think our system, as is, is working,” Watson said. “Obviously, lots of excuses that you can use — work, or out of town and a few other things that you can kind of talk about. Again, we give them 45 days to get in there. In my opinion, it’s easy enough as it is.”

The Democratic nominee, former Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree, said he supports expansion of early voting to get more people involved in the election process.

“You have a fundamental right to vote, and why do I

have to give an excuse to vote?” DuPree said. “That’s like, why do I have to give an excuse to breathe? I believe that we should have no-excuse early voting.”

Thirty-nine states allow people to vote early without having to provide an excuse such as being out of town on election day, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The two candidates spoke Monday in Jackson at a forum sponsored by Mississippi State University’s Stennis Institute of Government and the Capitol Press Corps. Both said they support efforts to educate people about voting.

The election is Nov. 5.

DuPree and Watson are competing to succeed thirdterm Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, a Republican who faces Democratic state Rep. Jay Hughes in the open race for lieutenant governor.

The secretary of state serves with the governor and attorney general on the state election commission.

Candidates file campaign finance reports and businesses file documents of incorporation at the secretary of state’s office. The office also regulates charities and securities, and it oversees public land leases, which generate money Emily Wagster Pettus for schools.

DuPree, 65, is a real estate broker and served 16 years as Hattiesburg mayor. He was previously a Forrest County supervisor and Hattiesburg school board member. He was also the Democratic nominee for governor in 2011, falling to Republican Phil Bryant in the general election.

Watson, 41, of Pascagoula, is an attorney has served three terms as a state senator in a district that’s entirely in coastal Jackson County. » Emily Wagster Pettus covers Capitol matters for the Mississippi Associated Press in Jackson.

Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, 2019

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THE SPIN CYCLE

LinkedIn boosts newsroom to 65 journalists

D

an Roth – editor-in-chief of LinkedIn – has a vision for making the social media powerhouse must read for news.

It is Roth’s dream for LinkedIn’s 645 million members and for workers who have yet to use the site to turn to the site for news with their morning coffee. He envisions LinkedIn as the perfect “utility” for professionals.

“LinkedIn should help you be better at what you do or what you want to do. When you come to LinkedIn, you’re coming with a purpose. It’s not just to waste time or to check in on family,” Roth told CNN Business in a recent interview. “They’re coming here to get something done and everything we do is geared around making sure people are more effective at getting whatever it is they want done, done.”

Roth has hired a team of journalists and empowered them with the tools they need to discover original stories and to distribute those stories to the right audience. Having these tools at their disposal is appealing to journalists who want to know who is reading their work.

While LinkedIn isn’t dominating the worldwide audience with its editorial strategy, it is getting close! LinkedIn has editors in the U.S., Brazil, the U.K., France, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, Australia, India, Japan, China and Singapore, according to CNN Business. Nearly 20 editors are based in America, including its San Francisco office and in New York, where Roth lives.

This new news focus has impacted LinkedIn’s traffic and ultimately its bottom line. A metric that tracks how often users are coming to LinkedIn in 30-minute intervals is up nearly 27% from the year prior, a LinkedIn spokesperson told CNN Business. And the company is monetizing that traffic. Satya Nadella, CEO of LinkedIn

owner Microsoft (MSFT), said on a recent earnings call that it’s been “another record year for LinkedIn, driven by all-time high engagement across the platform.”

Roth landed at LinkedIn after of an idea he had for Fortune magazine, where he was managing editor of digital initiatives. In 2011, he had plans to create an app called the Fortune 500 Plus that would connect Fortune’s data with LinkedIn’s to help salespeople find leads.

Like a typical newsroom, LinkedIn’s team has a daily editorial meeting. On a recent morning, four people in the New York office joined a video conference call with three remote staffers and the team in London. An editor in London said a story about Instagram hiding likes had inspired “great conversation” from social media strategists on LinkedIn and that they had not covered the Nobel Prizes yet due to “lack of member sharing,” the editor told CNN Business.

LinkedIn is the latest tech site to bolster its news gathering value.

Apple News, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Flipboard have also hired journalists to oversee its news content, and even to create original content. Facebook, for its part, is hiring more journalists for its upcoming news tab. It’s the company’s second biggest effort to curate news after its previous news section faced conservative bias allegations. In tandem, more traditional newsrooms are investing in product. News Corp is reportedly building its own news aggregator, Knewz.com.

Facebook to clearly label fake news Speaking of Facebook, the social platform has launched numerous tools to combat fake news and spread of misinformation – just as the 2020 U.S. presidential elections heat up, The effort is to better “protect the democratic process” Facebook published

http://www.msbusiness.com

BANKS

Q Regions Bank.................................................................................................................. www.regions.com

HUMAN RESOURCES

in a recent post. Now, Facebook will clearly label false posts and state-controlled media and will invest $2 million in media literacy projects to help people understand the inforTodd Smith mation posted online, according to The Next Web. Content published on Facebook and Instagram in the next month rated false or partly false by a third-party fact-checker will be more prominently labeled so readers can better decide what to read, trust, and share. A pop-up will also appear when users attempt to share posts on Instagram that include content that’s been debunked by its fact-checkers, according to TNW. Facebook says they have “made significant investments since 2016 to better identify new threats, close vulnerabilities, and reduce the spread of viral misinformation and fake accounts.”

This comes after a study by the Oxford Internet Institute found that since 2017, organized social media manipulation has more than doubled with at least 70 countries known to be using online propaganda to manipulate mass public opinion, and in some cases, on a global scale, according to TNW. Despite there being more social media platforms than ever, Facebook remains the most popular choice for online manipulation with propaganda campaigns found on the platform in 56 countries.

Facebook revealed it has removed four networks found to be fake, state-backed misinformation-spreading accounts based in Iran and Russia — countries that have recently been found to cross borders to spread misinformation on not just their apps but also on a global scale.

The tech giant also introduced a security

tool for elected officials and candidates that monitors their accounts to detect hacking such as login attempts in unusual locations or on unverified devices to protect voters.

Social platform opens search ad placements to all advertisers Ads in Facebook Search Results are now open to all marketers for a select group of topics. The ad unit, which appears in Facebook News Feeds and across its marketplace, aims to provide a way for marketers to reach consumers in a new way.

The option is only available on mobile devices, according to MediaPost.

The new ad campaign using Automatic Placements will show up in the Facebook Search Results ad placement and in the general search results pages, unless the marketer specifies otherwise. Marketers can manually select the placement when setting up campaigns, so they appear in one place or the other, according to MediaPost. eMarketer released data as early as February 2019 pointing to an increase in Facebook’s U.S. net digital ad revenue share to 22.1%, up from 21.8%, while Google declined from 38.2% in 2018 to 37.2% in 2019.

Amazon is forecast to take a bigger piece, growing from 6.8% in 2018 to 8.8% in 2019.

Google will take 33.0% of all U.S. mobile ad dollars this year, while Facebook will own 30.8%, according to eMarketer.

Similar to initial tests, Facebook’s search ads will serve up for search terms when its technology detects a search for a product connected to a possible purchase in ecommerce, retail or automotive.

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

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

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Newsmakers

12 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, 2019

FormanWatkins welcomes associates to Jackson office Amber Stewart, Chelsea Lewis, and Patrick Fields are new associates to the FormanWatkins Jackson office.

Amber Stewart received her J.D. from Mississippi College School of Law and her B.A. from Mississippi State University. The art of communication and a passion for people are what drove Stewart Amber to the practice of law.

While studying communication and public relations in college, Amber developed a passion for listening to others’ stories, then took that compassion to law school to learn how to help others in a more impactful way.

Now, as a talented attorney, Amber uses her passion for Lewis success and love of learning to be an advocate that cares about finding the best solution for her clients both professionally and personally.

Chelsea Lewis received her J.D. from The University of Alabama School of Law and her B.A. in Public Policy Leadership from The University of Mississippi.

Chelsea has a passion for new Fields experiences that help her see every side of a problem. For her, those experiences include a year in Ireland getting her Master’s degree, working as a civil rights litigator, and clerking for a federal district court judge. Drawing from her various experiences and her desire to always challenge herself, Chelsea has the ability to think through the long-term development of a case in order to find the best resolution.

Patrick Fields received his J.D. from Mississippi College School of Law and his B.A. in International Studies and Spanish from The University of Mississippi. Having worked as the director of a Migrant Support Center in his community before going to law school, Patrick is passionate about serving others.

MMC Materials, Inc. presented Vision Award The Madison County Business League & Foundation (MCBL&F) and the Madison County Economic Development Authority (MCEDA) presented the 2019 Vision Award to MMC Materials, Inc. MCEDA Executive Director Joey Deason presented the award to MMC Materials, Inc. President Rodney Grogan at the Grogan 11th annual Vision Celebration held at the Country Club of Jackson on October 1st before a group of 485 Members, guests and elected officials.

The Madison County Economic Development Authority and the Madison County Business League created the VISION award in 2010 as a means of recognizing and thanking certain outstanding Madison County businesses for their contributions to the

community. By contributions we mean their unique or remarkable accomplishments, their investments in people and the resulting impact that their operations have on the local area economy. Past winners include C Spire, Levi Strauss & Company, Nissan North America, St. Dominic Health Services, Merit Health Madison, Madison County Schools, BankPlus, Butler Snow and the DeBeukelaer Corporation.

In 1927, “Mississippi Concrete and Material Company” was formed in Jackson, Mississippi by the Dunn family from Birmingham, Alabama. The Dunn family began operations in 1878 in Virginia, principally in the railroad construction industry.

Mad Genius continues growth, creative team in Gulf Coast office Mad Genius is continuing to expand its new Mississippi Gulf Coast office by adding three employees to its creative team.

The agency has named CeCe Shabazz director of creative strategy, Tara Gerald senior graphic designer and Pauline Orr web developer. Mad Genius Shabazz recently opened its Ocean Springs office and tapped veteran broadcast sales manager Don Moore senior vice president of business development.

“We’re very excited to have these award-winning creatives join our Ocean Springs team,” said Chip Sarver, co-founder and chief operating officer of Mad Genius. “Their reputations Gerald for excellence certainly precede them, each of them having won successive awards with the American Advertising Federation.

They will work closely with Don, and collaborate extensively with our creative teams in Ridgeland, helping us achieve great success for our existing and growing clientele.”

Orr Shabazz, who has won an AAF Silver Medal Award, has more than 17 years of experience in the advertising industry, and has broad expertise in brand building, idea generation and creative direction. She has done work for a variety of industries, including travel & tourism, financial services, banking, health care and more.

Gerald has won numerous AAF Addy Awards for graphic design, including multiple Best of Shows/ Interactive and regional gold for illustration expertise.

She has more than seven years of experience, serving as a lead designer for local, regional and national brands.

Orr, who has also won numerous AAF Addy Awards, is an experienced web developer, and started coding as a teenager. She has diverse expertise in front end development, UX design and website architecture, and has worked for several leading agencies.

Mad Genius was founded in 2005, and offers a range of branding services including high-end video production, website design, media and digital marketing. Their client roster serves a variety of industries, including health care, insurance, higher education, outdoor, legal, accounting, manufacturing,

retail, consumer packaged goods, telecom, agriculture, automotive, food & beverage and entertainment.

Keesler Federal promotes Ben Donald Keesler Federal Credit Union has promoted Ben Donald to Director of Retail Operations, Northern Region.

In his new position, Donald will oversee operations for Keesler Federal branches stretching from Hattiesburg to Madison.

The Northern Regional includes Donald three branches in Hattiesburg and five in the greater Jackson area, three which have opened in the last year.

Donald previously served as a Pine Belt regional manager, overseeing operations in Hattiesburg and Petal. He additionally was the manager of the Turtle Creek branch in Hattiesburg.

Donald graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2012, earning a bachelor’s degree in business with an emphasis in accounting. He received a master’s degree from American Intercontinental University in 2014 with a degree in business specializing in finance. He has worked at Keesler Federal for four years.

With assets of $2.8 billion, Keesler Federal is a not-for-profit, member-owned cooperative, the largest credit union in the state. Founded in 1947 to provide banking service to Keesler Air Force Base employees, it now has 35 locations, including branches in the Jackson, Hattiesburg and New Orleans markets as well as the Coast. Membership exceeds 228,000.

Sutherland ,Wiggs listed in Top 250 Women in Litigation Benchmark Litigation has named Butler Snow attorneys Kari L. Sutherland and Rebecca Lee Wiggs in its 2019 Top 250 Women in Litigation. Both women have received this recognition since 2016.

This year marks the eighth edition of Benchmark Litigation’s Sutherland Top 250 Women in Litigation.

The women receiving this honor have earned their place among leading litigators by participating in some of the most impactful litigation matters in recent history, as well as by earning the hard-won respect of their peers and clients.

Attorneys named to Benchmark Litigation’s 2019 publication Wiggs were chosen through several phases of research. The extensive process, which encompasses six months of research into the litigators’ professional activities, as well as client feedback surveys and interviews, has culminated in the selection of the country’s most distinguished attorneys in the world of litigation.

Sutherland is a trial attorney who focuses her practice on pharmaceutical and medical device product liability litigation. She has tried many pharmaceutical cases in various jurisdictions across the country. She currently serves as a crucial part of a national counsel

team defending prescription medical devices.

Sutherland is a member of the American, Mississippi, Tennessee, 5th Circuit and Lafayette County Bar Associations, Defense Research Institute, Fellowship of the Litigation Counsel of America, Federalist Society, Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association and Trial Attorneys of America. She is also a former special agent for the U.S. Secret Service. Sutherland received her undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama and her Juris Doctor from Mississippi College School of Law. Wiggs is an experienced trial attorney who focuses her practice on pharmaceutical product liability litigation. She has tried more than 40 cases to jury verdict in state and federal courts in Mississippi, and has served on teams successfully defending the manufacturers of prescription and over-the-counter products from discovery through the appellate process.

Wiggs is a fellow of the American Bar Foundation and the Mississippi Bar Foundation, and a member of the American Bar Association, The Mississippi Bar, the Capital Area Bar Association, the Mississippi Women Lawyers Association and the Charles Clark Chapter of the American Inns of Court. She received her bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University and her Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Moss and Liddell join Hattiesburg Clinic Jason F. Moss, DO, and Thompson W. Liddell, MD, joined Hattiesburg Clinic Infectious Diseases offering consultations for patients with infectious diseases.

Moss has special practice interests in HIV, endocarditis, bone and joint infections, infection Moss control and antibiotic stewardship. He received his medical degree from West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in Lewisburg, W.Va. He completed both an internship and residency in internal medicine at Medical City Fort Worth in Fort Worth, Texas.

Moss is board certified in internal medicine by the Amer- Liddell ican Board of Internal Medicine and is a member of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Liddell has interests in antibiotic stewardship, bone and joint infections and atypical mycobacteria. He received his medical degree from the University of Mississippi in Jackson, Miss. He completed an internal medicine internship and residency at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) in Jackson. He also completed a fellowship in infectious diseases at UMMC. Liddell is board certified in infectious diseases by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. He is a member of several medical organizations, including American Medical Association, American College of Physicians, Infectious Diseases Society of America and Mississippi Medical Association.

Newsmakers

Meena receives 2019 Memorial welcomes Visionary Leadership Award 2 gastroenterologists

The Madison County Business League & Foundation (MCBL&F) and the Madison County Economic Development Authority (MCEDA) presented the 2019 Visionary Leadership Award to C Spire Chairman and CEO Hu Meena. Cecil Harper, MCBL&F 2018-19 Chairman, presented the Meena award at the 11th annual Vision Celebration at the Country Club of Jackson on Oct. 1 to a group of 485 Members, guests and elected officials.

MCEDA and the MCBL&F created the VISIONARY Leadership Award in 2011 as a means of recognizing and thanking certain outstanding Madison County individuals for their visionary leadership contributions to the community. By contributions we mean their unique or remarkable accomplishments, their investments in people and the resulting impact that their operations have on the local area economy.

Hu Meena is chairman and CEO of C Spire, a Madison County-based telecommunications and technology services company that is leading Mississippi forward with an emphasis on state of the art wireless services, fiber optic broadband, managed cloud services, workforce development and technology innovation.

Past Visionary Leadership Award winners include Mike Kent, Joel Bomgar, JoAnn Gordon, Dr. David Powe, David Landrum, Doug Hederman, H.C. “Buster” Bailey and Dr. Nancy New.

Griffith awarded Realtor of the Year

Cleveland Realtor David Griffith was awarded Mississippi Realtors (MAR) Realtor of the Year on Oct. 2 during their annual convention in Biloxi. Over 600 attended the convention at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino for continuing education, award ceremonies, membership meetings Griffith and an EXPO of more than 40 vendors.

Griffith has served as President of MAR and President of his local board, Cleveland Board of Realtors.

His extensive list of service includes committees and task forces on both the state and local level. In addition, he has chaired and served on a committee for the National Association of Realtors. Griffith is also a Major Investor with the Mississippi Association of Realtors Political Action Committee. The Cleveland Board of Realtors says, “he is instrumental in keeping their board relevant in the community and keeping Realtors at the center of the transaction – that he willingly gives of his personal time and experience for the benefit of others in the industry.”

Griffith entered the real estate industry in 1989 and in 1998 became the co-owner of Griffith Real Estate and Appraisal Services. He is involved with his community and a member of the Cleveland Country Club, Cleveland Lions Club, Cleveland-Bolivar County Chamber of Commerce and the Delta State Alumni Association.

Memorial Physician Clinics added Peter J. Bernheim, MD, Scott M. Gioe, MD, and Linnea Lake, Nurse Practitioner, in the practice of Gastroenterology at Memorial Physician Clinics Gastroenterology Center in Gulfport.

Bernheim received his Doctor of Medicine from the Bernheim University of Mississippi School of Medicine. He completed his Internal Medicine internship and residency, and was fellowship trained in Gastroenterology at the University of Florida Health Science Center, Jacksonville.

Gioe received his Doctor of Medicine from Louisiana State University School of Medicine. He completed his Internal Medicine Gioe internship and residency, and was fellowship trained in Gastroenterology and Hepatobiliary at Alton Ochsner Medical Foundation, New Orleans.

Bernheim and Gioe are board certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology.

Cardiologist joins Hattiesburg Clinic Diego F. Alcivar, MD, FACC, joined Hattiesburg Clinic Heart & Vascular.

At Heart & Vascular, Alcivar practices cardiac electrophysiology. His special interests include atrial fibrillation, complex arrhythmias, pacemakers, defibrillators, device and lead extractions and the WATCHMAN Alcivar device.

He received his medical degree from Universidad Catolica de Santiago de Guayaquil in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Alcivar completed an internship and residency at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in Lexington. He also completed a cardiology fellowship from Summa Health System (Neomed) in Akron, Ohio, and an electrophysiology fellowship from Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus, Ohio. He is also a fellow of the American College of Cardiology.

Alcivar is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in internal medicine and cardiology.

He is a member of the American College of Cardiology, the American College of Physicians, the American Heart Association and the Heart Rhythm Society.

BankPlus promotes April BankPlus promoted Denise April to Assistant Vice President & Customer Service Center Supervisor. April has been in the banking industry for 11 years.

She is a native of Jackson and holds an Associate’s in Business Administration from Phillips Community College. April is on the board of the Camelia Chinn Foundation as Treasurer. She

April

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Adams and Reese attorneys recognized Adams and Reese announced the inclusion of attorneys throughout the firm’s regional footprint in the 2020 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Additionally, the firm was top-listed in Banking and Finance Law in Mississippi, noting the greatest number of lawyers from a single firm in each practice area.

In City awards, the Jackson office was recognized in Banking and Finance Law. Powell G. Ogletree, Jr., in Jackson was named Lawyer of the Year in the practice area and designated metropolitan area in Natural Resources Law. Others recognized in the Jackson office in Ridgeland are: Charles P. Adams, Jr., Corporate Law, Litigation - Securities, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Securities / Capital Markets Law, Securities Regulation; Holmes S. Adams, Litigation - Trusts and Estates, Trusts and Estates; William C. Brabec,

resides in Jackson and has two sons, Marcus and Jeremy, and attends College Hill Baptist Church.

Valerie Cummins promoted

by BankPlus Valerie Cummins was promoted to Assistant Vice President & CSC Quality Assurance Manager at BankPlus. Cummins is a native of Baton Rouge, La., and has been with BankPlus for 18 years. She has served in various banking roles in multiple departments including Customer Cummins Service Center, Commercial Real Estate, and Deposit Operations.

Cummins and her husband, Josh, reside in Brandon with their son, Parker, 10. Cummins is a supporter of the Mississippi Children’s Hospital, a frequent blood donor, and participates in multiple fundraising efforts to support word on childhood cancer and other childhood diseases.

Baker Donelson recognized among Top 100 Law Firms for Women Baker Donelson was named by Women Inc. magazine to its “Top 100 Law Firms for Women” list.

For inclusion in the list, which celebrates female leadership and representation in the legal industry, firms were selected using criteria such as prior recognition, recruitment, community outreach and industry prominence.

Through its Women’s Initiative, Baker Donelson has implemented numerous key initiatives designed to create an environment where female attorneys thrive, including an industry-leading parental leave policy, a firm-wide mentoring program for women, a program that awards business development grants to women attorneys, and a training program designed to help women attorneys achieve equity shareholder status.

Insurance Law; C. Phillip Buffington, Jr., Banking and Finance Law, Commercial Finance Law, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law; · Paul A. Carrubba, Banking and Finance Law, Financial Services Regulation Law; Matthew R. Dowd, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants; James A. Keith, Education Law, Employment Law - Management, Labor Law Management; Elizabeth Lee Maron, Education Law; Powell G. Ogletree, Jr., Banking and Finance Law, Energy Law, Litigation - Real Estate, Natural Resources Law, Real Estate Law, Timber Law; Charles N. Parrott, Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Law, Financial Services Regulation Law, Litigation - Real Estate; Jeffrey Trotter, Energy Law, Environmental Law, Litigation - Environmental, Oil and Gas Law; Charles R. Wilbanks, Jr., Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants.

Grothe joins Martinson’s Garden Works Gabe Grothe joined Martinson’s Garden Works Landscape Design/Build division.

He received his Landscape Contracting and Management degree from Mississippi State University in 2014. After completing his education he returned to his home town of Madison to work for Carrolls Landscape Services. He assisted with project management and installation for the past 5 years.

Grothe lives in Madison with his wife, Claire, and daughter, Olive Jeanette.

He specializes in green spaces, annual and perennial color, and rock work.

Doug Huneycutt joins Neel-Schaffer Neel-Schaffer, Inc., has announced that Doug Huneycutt, PE, has joined the firm and will serve as the Transportation Services Manager for Neel-Schaffer’s Texas operations.

Huneycutt will be responsible for regional and corporate business development and the implementation of transportation Huneycutt projects throughout the state of Texas, supported by Neel- Schaffer’s offices in Houston, Arlington and Fort Worth and corporate-wide.

Huneycutt has 35 years of experience as a program manager, project manager and project engineer, including 16 with the Texas Department of Transportation and 19 with other consulting firms. He has extensive experience working with clients throughout Texas, having worked on a wide variety of transportation projects across the state, particularly TxDOT projects.

A Licensed Professional Engineer in Texas, Huneycutt holds two degrees from Texas Tech University, a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a Bachelor of Architecture.

Newsmakers

14 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, 2019

Outstanding Madison County Young Professional named The Madison County Business League & Foundation (MCBL&F) presented the 2019 Outstanding Young Professional Award to BancorpSouth’s Madison County President Grant Montgomery.

Cecil Harper, MCBL&F 2018-19 Chairman, presented the award to Montgomery at the 11th annual Vision Celebration at the Country Montgomery Club of Jackson on Oct. 1 to a group of 485 Members, guests and elected officials.

MCBL&F created the award in 2017 as a means of recognizing their efforts during the past year.

Montgomery is an experienced professional with a 14-year career in corporate banking, commercial real estate, business development, branch management and sales management. His proactive approach and delivery of value-added banking solutions has resulted in capturing new accounts and an expanded client base, in addition to growing and retaining existing relationships.

The mission of the MCYP is to develop future MCBL&F members and leaders by providing opportunities to build professional development and relationship skills, engage with business, political and civil leaders and serve the community.

Under the leadership of Chairman Grant S. Montgomery, the Madison County Young Professional Steering Committee has made great strides over the past year. Membership in the Young Professionals group has grown to over 250 members. Peer to peer networking socials were held during 2018-19 with a turnout of over 250 YPs. The MCYPs enjoyed a fall executive leadership development CEO forum and a Spring Executive Leadership forum on Communication among different generations. Plans are underway for a soft skills forum luncheon in November.

The Young Professionals have been involved with many projects over the past year, including assisting with the Canton High School Reality Fairs and grant requests for educational purposes.

Gwen James receives Hall of Fame Award Hattiesburg Realtor Gwen James was inducted into the Mississippi Realtors Hall of Fame on October 2nd during their annual convention in Biloxi. Over 600 attended the convention at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino for continuing education, award ceremonies, membership James meetings and an EXPO of more than 40 vendors. The award is the association’s most prestigious honor. Established in 1994, the Hall of Fame honors Mississippi Realtors who have made an extraordinary and distinguished contribution to the real estate profession for at least 20 years.

James was nominated by her local board, Hattiesburg Area Association of Realtors, for her leadership on the state and local level as well as her service with the National Association of Realtors. HAAR states that James is “the perfect role model for Mississippi Realtors”.

James has been in the real estate industry for over

Leadership Jackson County class of 2019

Courtesy of Leadership Jackson County

Leadership Jackson County graduated its 2019 class. Graduates are, alphabetically: Scott Ankerson, City of Gautier; Carolyn Ann Belton, First Federal Savings & Loan; Shelly Bolden, Merchants & Marine Bank; Matthew Anthony Boney, Community Bank – Ocean Springs; Chris Collier, The Office Bar and Lounge; Bryan Lee Cooper, Mississippi Security Police, Inc.; Krisann Dikes, Singing River Health System; Linzey Fleming, C Spire; James Elliott Foster, Jr., Our MS Home (Digital Coast Media); Sarah Ashley Glenn, Alabama Media Group/ The Mississippi Press; Kelly Loupe Green, Merchants & Marine Bank; Peter Anthony Hanley, Jr., Ingalls Shipbuilding; BreEllen Marie Harmon, Navigator Credit Union; Angela Monique Haynes, Ingalls Shipbuilding; Charles Cary Houston, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College; Nikki Johns, AGJ Systems & Networks, Inc.; Brook McCrory, Lemon-Mohler Insurance Agency; Randy Devon Muffley, Jackson County Sheriff’s Department; Allyson Nekea Nulta, Hilton Garden Inn Pascagoula; Leslie Hope O’Brien, Jackson County

40 years and has proven to be an asset to her community. In 2007 she was President of the Mississippi Realtors; she has also served as Past Chair of the Area Development Partnership, Hattiesburg Planning and Zoning Commission, President of The Hattiesburg Board of Realtors, The Pine Belt Community Foundation, and The Family YMCA. In addition, James also serves on BancorpSouth Community Board of Directors and Forrest General Hospital Foundation. In 2015, James was appointed at Commissioner for the Mississippi Real Estate Commission.

BankPlus promotes Houston Jessica Houston was promoted to Bank Officer & Customer Relationship Manager in Private Client for BankPlus. A native of Pickens, Houston has been with BankPlus for nine years having worked previously in the Madison Banking Center and most recently in Private Client. She holds a Bachelor’s in English from Houston Tougaloo College and a Master’s in English from Jackson State University. Houston and her husband, Patrick, reside in Madison with their daughter, Hailey Brooke.

Economic Development Foundation; Nick Adam Overby, Moss Point School District; Timothy Michael Prochilo, Jackson County Board of Supervisors; Derek Carl Read, Pascagoula-Gautier School District; Lisa Tanner Rhodes, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College; April Baxter Robinson, First Federal Savings & Loan; Amy Michelle Rowell, Ingalls Shipbuilding; Misty Russell, Hancock Whitney Bank; Melissa McElhaney Schnoor, Singing River Health System; Amanda Katherine Seymour, USM - Gulf Coast Research Laboratory; Jeffrey Thomas Shepard, Mississippi Power; Honora Ruth Slagel, Coastal Family Health Center; Lauri-Ellen Smith, City of Pascagoula; Brittney Suzanne Southern, Jackson County; Katherine H. Sukiennik, Greenhouse on Porter; Laurie Elizabeth Trahan, Hancock Whitney Bank; Marla Warner, Dale Carnegie Training; Shunda Untranette Williams, Jackson County Board of Supervisors; Jason Scott Williams, Kinder Morgan/ Gulf LNG Energy; Teresa Wright, Chevron.

Lane joins NMMC Rehab Institute Physical medicine and rehabilitation physician Michael Lane, M.D., has joined the medical staff of North Mississippi Medical Center’s Rehabilitation Institute.

Lane comes to Tupelo from Johnston Willis Rehabilitation Hospital in Richmond, Virginia, where he has worked since 2016.

He previously served as medical Lane director of the Rehabilitation Institute of Southwest Louisiana in Lake Charles from 2010-2016. Prior to that, he worked at rehabilitation facilities in Virginia, Texas and Indiana.

Lane received his bachelor’s degree from Tennessee State University in Nashville in 1988 and earned his medical degree from the State University of New York Health Science Center of Brooklyn in 1999. He completed an internship with New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens in 2000 and residency training at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, in physical medicine and rehabilitation in 2003. He is board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation.

The NMMC Rehabilitation Institute is a 28-bed inpatient unit staffed by rehabilitation professionals who

provide three to five hours of intensive therapy daily to help patients reach their individual goals. The unit is staffed by physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, rehabilitation nurses, social workers and case managers.

Cade Junkin hired at Community Bank Cade Junkin, a native of Indianola, has joined Community Bank’s Indianola office. Junkin will be a part of the Management Trainee program, which is designed to equip trainees with a basic knowledge of all aspects of banking, as well as, the opportunity to learn alongside experienced Community Bankers. Junkin Junkin, a 2015 graduate of Indianola Academy, completed his Bachelor of Accountancy from the Adkerson School of Accountancy at Mississippi State University in May of 2019.

He is a member of First Baptist Church of Indianola.

Newsmakers Todd Nichols joins Dale Partners Architects Dale Partners Architects P.A. has announced that Todd Nichols, with over 20 years of design experience, has joined the Dale Partners team. He will serve as a project manager in the firm’s Biloxi office.

Todd graduated from Mississippi State University with a Bachelor of Architecture after Nichols receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Delta State University. His experience includes design, structural renovation, planning and execution oversight, and quality control contributions to major renovations and new construction. He has designed hospitality, municipal, and education projects throughout his career.

In his time at Dale Partners, he been involved with a number of projects the firm has in production and construction administration, including Cadence Bank, Biloxi Pedestrian Overpass and the renovation of the Saenger theater.

Todd, a native of Memphis, is a published/exhibited photographer who loves to travel.

Keesler Federal promotes Joanna Calhoun Keesler Federal Credit Union has promoted Joanna Calhoun to Director of Branch Operations, Central Region.

In her new role Calhoun will oversee operations at nine Keesler Federal branches, in a geographic region that runs from Long Beach to Ocean Springs and Calhoun north to Wiggins.

She has worked as a regional manager supervising the credit union’s branches in Gulfport and Long Beach, as well as serving as the downtown Gulfport branch manager. Previously she had been a branch manager in Waveland, Slidell and Diamondhead as well as a loan officer, financial services representative and teller.

Calhoun graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. She resides in Bay St. Louis.

Shivangi joins Mental Health Services National Advisory Council Mississippi Board of Mental Health member Dr. Sampat Shivangi has accepted an invitation from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to serve on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Center for Mental Health Services National Shivangi Advisory Council.

Shivangi, of Ridgeland, serves on the Board of Mental Health in the role of the medical physician representative. First appointed by Gov. Haley Barbour in 2009, he has served as both

Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, 2019

Mississippi Tourism Association honors Greenwood mayor

Courtesy of Greenwood Convention and Visitors Bureau

Greenwood Mayor Carolyn McAdams was recognized with the Governmental Tourism Leadership Award. In Leflore County, travel and tourism expenditures by visitors in Fiscal Year 2018 totaled $50.8 million. There are 750 people employed in tourism-related jobs, and Tourism in Greenwood generated over $4 million in state and local taxes. Pictured are, from left, Lindsey Uithoven, Board Chairwoman, Greenwood CVB; Danielle Morgan, Executive Director, Greenwood CVB; Carolyn McAdams, Mayor of Greenwood; Lyn McCool, daughter of Mayor McAdams; and Forrest Hodge Greenwood CVB staff.

chairman and vice chairman during his tenure on the board. He was reappointed to the Board of Mental Health in 2016 by Gov. Phil Bryant. His appointment to the National Advisory Council is for the term beginning immediately and ending on July 30, 2023.

Shivangi is the past president elect of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin. He is the founding president of the American Association of Physicians of Indian origin in Mississippi and is the past president and chair of the India Association of Mississippi. In addition to his service on the Mississippi Board of Mental Health, he has served on the Mississippi Board of Health and as an adviser to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Amita Maibam joins Nephrology Group Amita Maibam, M.D., joined Nephrology and Hypertension Associates, Ltd. Dr. Maibam comes to Tupelo from Lexington, Kentucky, where she completed a nephrology fellowship at the University of Kentucky in July. She received a master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Maibam School of Public Health in Baltimore in 2014. She earned her medical degree from the College of Medical Sciences in Bharatpur, Nepal, in 2007 and completed an internal medicine residency at Jersey City Medical Center in New Jersey in 2017.

Before moving to the United States, Maibam worked as a medical officer with New Life Drug-De-Addiction Center in Imphal, India, and at several hospitals. She is a member of the American Medical Association, American College of Physicians

and American Society of Nephrology.

Maibam joins Drs. Marcus Britton, Morris Hamilton, Son Lam, Martin Lee, Tzonko Milev, Chris Miller and Thomas Wooldridge, and nurse practitioners Trenton Gray, Christy Jaggers, Patti McKnight, Kathy Thomas.

Miller joins FormanWatkins Forman Watkins & Krutz LLP has announced the addition of Julian D. Miller to their Jackson office.

Miller graduated cum laude from The University of Mississippi School of Law. He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University, where he Miller was a staff writer for Harvard Political Review, as well as Remix Magazine. While at Harvard, Miller was a Ron Brown Scholar, a Jackie Robinson Scholar, and a National Merit/Achievement Scholar, and he also received the Marvin C. Pittman Award for Outstanding and Most Dedicated Senior. In 2017, he received the honor of being selected to the “Top 40 Under 40” list by National Black Lawyers.

Miller is the only lawyer in the state of Mississippi to have successfully represented the Mississippi Department of Education, school districts, a charter school, teachers, administrators, and several public school students in school disciplinary and special education matters. Additionally, Miller has successfully litigated several multi-million-dollar cases at the administrative, trial, and appellate levels in complex governmental litigation, administrative, commercial litigation, products liability, and labor and employment matters in state and federal courts.

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Balch & Bingham named to Forbes list

Balch & Bingham LLP has announced its inclusion in the first-ever Forbes 2019 list of “America’s Top Trusted Corporate Law Firms.” Additionally, the firm is one of only 19 law firms nationwide to receive the “most recommended for” designation for banking and financial services.

Balch is one of fewer than 250 law firms, out of the thousands of firms across the U.S. that serve corporate clients, to earn Forbes’ distinction as one of America’s top law firms.

Law firms were selected based on results of an independent survey which included responses from 2,500 in-house and private practice lawyers. Survey participants were asked to recommend law firms in up to 17 fields of law. If a firm received a higher than average number of recommendations for a specific practice area, the firm received a “most recommended for” designation.

Earlier this year, Balch was recognized by BTI Consulting as a leader in best brand standing in its 2019 BTI Brand Elite Report: Client Perceptions of the Best-Branded Law Firms. The rankings are determined by independent interviews with more than 694 corporate counsel and top legal decision makers at the world’s largest and most influential companies. To determine the rankings, clients were asked to name law firms they associate with characteristics driving the selection, consideration and hiring of new law firms, including the role of brand in hiring decisions, client awareness and loyalty and competitiveness.

McElroy receives MFA’s President’s Citation Award Mississippi Forestry Association (MFA) named Thomas McElroy of Jackson as the recipient of the 2019 President’s Citation Award. MFA presented the award at its annual President’s Banquet, a highlight of the 2019 MFA Annual Meeting in Jackson.

Each year, the MFA President McElroy has the opportunity to recognize and honor someone who has helped them be successful by presenting them with the President’s Citation Award. This year, MFA President Joe Mallard presented the award to McElroy.

McElroy works as a project manager in the Global Business Division at the Mississippi Development Authority. He is tasked with helping locate forest products manufacturers for Mississippi and expanding the ones already in the state.

“The nature of his work means we often don’t know exactly who he is working with or what he has been working on recently. I can tell you Thomas’ responsiveness and effort toward growing our industry has been second to none,” Mallard said.

Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, 2019 • MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS JOURNAL • www.msbusiness.com

AN MBJ FOCUS: Health Care

Fresh food making healthful meals also delicious has fueled growth for Newk’s Eatery

By BECKY GILLETTE mbj@msbusiness.com Newk’s Eatery was founded in Jackson in 2004 making it only 15 years old. Today it is grown from one location to one of the most successful food franchises based in Mississippi with 127 locations in 16 states.

The fast-casual restaurant has gained so many fans by providing fresh meals that are as healthful as they are delicious, all at prices that are affordable considering the quality of the food.

“From the beginning, Newk’s has been committed to creating extraordinary meals and experiences for our guests,” said Chris Newcomb, CEO and co-founder of Newk’s Eatery. “We take great pride in our freshly-made items and preparation methods. Every meal is prepared by hand using quality ingredients, including more than 30 fresh fruits and veggies hand-chopped daily. Our proteins are seasoned, seared and sliced in-house and our desserts are handmade in our very own bakeries. You won’t find fryers or microwaves anywhere.”

The centerpiece of Newk’s dining room is The Roundtable which allows people to personalize meals with freebies such as fresh house-made croutons, imported capers, hand-sliced peppers, and Torinesi-style breadsticks.

Another key factor is convenience.

“At Newk’s, we go wherever our guests go, providing easy access to wholesome, freshly prepared meals in our dining rooms through online ordering, a grab and go express market cooler in every location, and catering

for a wide variety of needs,” Newcomb said. “We take a very hands-on approach to every meal and go the extra mile to source the finest ingredients, locally whenever possible.

Although highly successful, Newk’s continues to evolve to meet the ever-changing needs and desires of guests.

“We have taken the past year to really listen to our guests and use this feedback to develop a plan we call Project Strive,” Newcomb said. “Project Strive is more than just a facelift for our restaurants. This project stems from our mission to strive to exceed expectations for each and every one of our guests. Since the beginning, we have tried to understand what our guests’ value most and bring those things to life, so that every single meal we serve can make a difference.”

The new prototype features an updated red soffit that reflects the tagline, “Our Kitchen is an Open Book” and interesting facts about the ingredients and preparation methods. The concept also works well for people with special dietary needs such as those who are gluten free, dairy free or vegetarian. Newk’s has many existing menu items that fall into those categories such as soups and salads. And because their food is made in-house, they can customize to fit almost any diet or lifestyle.

The open kitchen is fun for chefs and guests.

“The open kitchen allows our guests to see all the passion put into their food,” Newcomb said. “At Newk’s, hospitality is who we are, so we do our best to serve our dishes the way a friend would–with an ample dose of generosity and a smile.”

The SBA rates franchises according to default rates, and SBA data indicates some franchises have high rates of defaulting on their debt. Newcomb said they support Newk’s franchisees and set them up for growth in any way they can.

“We have a great understanding of our guests and what’s important to them, which allows us to continue to grow in new markets,” Newcomb said.

Newk’s is currently ranked as the 34th largest private company in Mississippi with $226 million in annual revenue. It employs almost 1,000 people. Newcomb said their philosophy is also to take care of each other through a safe work environment and restaurant. They are pushing to offer more to their hourly partners including milestone accomplishments, “free food goals,” and new uniforms.

“We believe the restaurant industry creates a great path to grow and make a long-term career,” Newcomb said.

Newcomb said they place a high importance on community involvement in each of their markets to strengthen relationships with the local communities.

The intention is to not only make a difference for their guests, but also team members, owners and the communities where they are located.

Newk’s Cares is the philanthropic arm of Newk’s Eatery, established in 2014 by Newcomb, and his wife, Lori Newcomb, co-founder of Newk’s. The mission of Newk’s Cares is to improve the rate of early diagnosis by funding research and creating greater See NEWK’S, Page 17

Health Care

Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, 2019

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NEWK’S: One of the great Mississippi success stories

S

Courtesy of xxxx

Newk’s Cares has raised $1.4 million to fight ovarian cancer.

NEWK’S Continued from, Page16

awareness about the early symptoms of ovarian cancer. To date Newk’s Cares has raised about $1.4 million for the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA).

“Newk’s Cares hosts two annual events during the month of September, a lunch and learn panel and Ovarian Cycle Jackson,” said Madison Newcomb, who is marketing coordinator at Newk’s. “We work with St. Dominic Hospital to host a lunch and learn event where panelists share statistics and symptoms of ovarian cancer along with critical research developments. Several medical experts spoke at the event and it is always free and open to the public to attend.”

Ovarian Cycle Jackson is their annual outdoor spin event.

Each year, the community is invited to aid in the fight against cancer by participating in one of five 45-minute time slots every hour from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. There is a $50 registration fee to ride and ovarian cancer survivors ride for free.

“We look forward to this event each year and enjoy working with the Jackson community to cycle for a cure,” said Newcomb, who is the daughter of the founders of Newk’s.

In addition to the local events in Jackson, all Newk’s Eatery’s locations across the country participate in raising awareness of the cause. Guests have the opportunity to make a donation in support of ovarian cancer research and education both in-store and through online ordering. All funds collected are donated to OCRA. Guests who make a donation in-store are given a paper teal ribbon certificate featuring their name to be displayed within the restaurant. Additionally, ten cents from every Newk’s Cares water bottle sold is donated year-round to OCRA. Newk’s also highlights eating healthy to help prevent cancer. This year the restaurant chain is featuring a seasonal Thai chicken soup.

“The soup features numerous cancer-fighting ingredients including mushrooms, carrots, turmeric, garlic, and green and red bell peppers, which contain antioxidants that can help reduce the risks of cancer,” Newcomb said. “This soup will remain in all Newk’s Eatery locations through March 2020.

The shrimp and avocado salad will also be featured, as it was inspired by my mother. The salad features fresh ingredients including broiled shrimp, avocado, arugula, tangy feta crumbles, sweet grape tomatoes, green onions and house-made lemon basil vinaigrette.”

ince its founding in 2004, Newk’s has rapidly grown into a Mississippi institution, expanding into more than 120 operations in 16 states throughout the Southeast and Gulf Coast regions.

The company employs more than 845 people in its corporate-owned locations, and looks ahead to a bright future.

Recently, I talked with Madison Newcomb, Marketing Coordinator for Newk’s and daughter of Newk’s founder Chris Newcomb. In a real sense, Madison grew up with the business, learning not only from her parents but from those who work on the front lines of restaurant management.

“We just celebrated our 15th Anniversary,” she told me. “We’re definitely proud of what we’ve accomplished during those years. We have great employees, and also great customers.”

I asked her what she considers to be the most important things to know about Newk’s.

“I would definitely say that you should think of us a a family-oriented business,” she said. “We really care about our people and the communities we serve, and one of our goals is to make a difference everywhere we touch.”

She said that Newk’s attributes its success to its great menus, and that the company is adopting a “new look” that will be rolled out over the next couple of years.

I asked her where Newk’s has the most locations.

“Mississippi is home for us, and it’s still where we have the most locations,” she said. “There are 17 locations in Mississippi, followed by Georgia with 16 and Florida and Alabama with 15 each.”

The company prides itself on great food, offering a range of menu options and many healthy meal choices.

“We are always seeking to improve on what we do,” she said. “Innovation is an important part of our business.”

I asked how they look at business opportunities in Mississippi.

“It’s been a great place for us,” she said, adding that they view Mississippi as a very “business-positive state. We see great things in the future for our state, and we hope to continue to be a part of that.”

What challenges does she see on the horizon?

“I’d have to say that the whole issue of digital transformation and technology represent a continuing challenge to all businesses,” she suggested.

“Things move so fast these days, and it’s always tough keeping up.”

She also mentioned that it was a challenge to keep up with the need to “refresh” their restaurants and keep them appealing and up to date.

In addition to their strong success as a Mississippi business, Madison also told me about their program called Newk’s Cares, an ovarian cancer awareness movement they founded. The movement is now celebrating its 6th year, and honors

Alan Turner

NEWK’S » Key personnel: Chris Newcomb, CEO and co-founder Michael Clock, President Chris Cheek, Chief Development Officer Michelle Spohnholz, VP of Marketing » Based in: Jackson, Mississippi, » Website: www.newks.com

Chris and Madison Newcomb.

co-founder Lori Newcomb.

Madison was excited to report that Newk’s Cares has raised more than $400,000 this year alone, bringing the total funds raised during the 6 year period to more than $1.4 million.

“This truly is something we care deeply about,” she said. “Here in Mississippi, we hold events during September, which is ovarian cancer awareness month. We do a lunch & learn event with St. Dominic’s, and we work hard to help educate people on ovarian cancer.”

Newk’s has earned national recognition for its efforts in this regard, but also in other respects.

Madison told me that Newk’s was ranked in Nation’s Restaurant News Top 200 Countdown, and was selected as a top food franchise by Entrepreneur.

Anyone who has dined at Newk’s certainly knows that the restaurant deserves the accolades.

For futher information on Newk’s visit their website4 at www.newks.com, or email newks@ truepointagency.com.

Contact Mississippi Business Journal publisher Alan Turner at alan.turner@msbusiness.com or (601) 364-1021.

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Health Care

18 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, 2019

Physician assistants playing increasingly important role in Mississippi health care

By BECKY GILLETTE mbj@msbusiness.com

Mississippi ranks as having the worst physician shortage in the country. One way to help meet that gap is the use of “physician extenders” like advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and physician assistants (PA).

Mississippi was the last state in the country to allow PAs to practice.

The state’s first training Edney program was launched at Mississippi College (MC) in Clinton in 2011. Six classes graduated between 2013 and 2018 for a total of 182. There are currently three cohorts of 30 students undergoing training for a total of 90.

Dr. Gary H. Nowell, Nichols Jackson, has been an internal medicine clinical preceptor for PA students since the beginning of the MC PA program.

“In my experience, I have found the students to be extremely bright and motivated,” Nowell said. “The PA curriculum closely mimics medical school training with 15 months of classroom training followed by 15 months of clinical training such that at graduation and upon passing the licensing test, a PA is at a similar level of a medical intern. The remainder of their training is completed by the physician(s) who they will work alongside in a particular specialty.”

Nowell said the PAs that he has worked with have been exceptionally capable of providing excellent medical care with appropriate oversight and have been very well accepted by patients and staff in his practice.

“There is a progressively increasing number of PA-C’s (PA-Certified) now employed in the St. Dominic Medical Associates, LLC, St. Dominic medical staff subspecialties, and MEA (Mississippi Emergency Agency) Clinics,” Nowell said.

“They have been a welcome addition to the medical care team.”

Dr. Daniel P. Edney, an internist with Medical Associates of Vicksburg, said he and his associates serve as clinical preceptors for the program and find the students very well-educated.

“PAs and APRNs are helping to relieve some of the burdens we as physicians face

MISSISSIPPI STATE TO LAUNCH FIRST PUBLIC UNIVERSITY PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT PROGRAM

By BECKY GILLETTE mbj@msbusiness.com The first physician assistant training program at a public university in Mississippi is scheduled to begin no later than January 2021.

“The Master of Physician Assistant Studies Program, housed on Mississippi State University’s Riley Campus in Meridian, will prepare clinical practitioners to meet critical needs in rural healthcare,” said Sid Salter, chief communications officer for MSU. “The goal of the program is to increase access to quality healthcare in a drastically under-served state. This program offers Meridian and the broader statewide community the opportunity to address the state’s critical healthcare needs by expanding the number of health care team members with PAs who can perform diagnostic, therapeutic, Salter preventative and health management services.”

PA-Cs (physician assistants-certified) serve under the supervision of doctors of medicine or osteopathy. The Mississippi Board of Trustees of Institutions of Higher Learning approved MSU-Meridian’s plan to provide the new degree program in 2017.

“MSU is grateful for the support of the Mississippi Legislature, the State College Board, local governments in the City of Meridian and Lauderdale County, and the broader healthcare community in the Meridian area as we bring this innovative, necessary program to the citizens these officials serve and represent,” Salter said.

Both the university and healthcare facilities in the area will benefit.

“It will enhance Meridian’s status as a major regional health care hub in east central Mississippi and West Alabama,” Salter said. “Additionally, MSU benefits from tremendous support of local medical facilities with two major hospitals located in Meridian.

Plans are to admit 20 students in the first class and gradually increase the class size to 30.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the number of positions available to PAs to grow by 30 percent between 2014 and 2024. Salter said the median starting salary for PAs was $98,180 in 2015 and will be well into the six-figure range by the first students graduate from the program.

ARC-PA is the accrediting agency that protects the interests of the public and PA profession by defining the standards for PA education and evaluating PA educational programs within the territorial U.S. to ensure their compliance with those standards.

daily and, when involved in appropriate collaborative relationships with physicians, they do help to meet critical health care needs in Mississippi in a safe manner,” Edney said. “Our clinic finds great value in using the physician led team-based approach using both PAs and APRNs to assist us in managing our practices. Without our midlevel providers, we would not be able to manage our very busy practices, which include helping us in the nursing homes, a long-term acute care unit, an acute care hospital, as well as our clinic practices. “ Edney said PA-Cs are very bright and hard working with a strong desire to learn and assume the challenges involved in assisting physicians with clinical care.

Another physician who thinks highly of PA-Cs is Dr. Lee Nicols, General Surgical

Associates, Jackson.

“We have three PA-Cs with our group and anticipate hiring another one at the start of the year,” Nicols said. “They play a significant role in the health care and management of our patients. We have found the PA-Cs to be extremely welltrained. The coursework for physician assistant training is very rigorous, comprising over 2,000 hours of training.”

Nichols said PA-Cs have improved their group’s documentation, which has reduced errors and increased reimbursement. They have also allowed the physicians to be more available as surgeons and have more provider time with the patients pre and post operatively.

Job prospects are excellent for PA graduates, said Steven Martin, program director and department chairman for the

MC Department of Physician Assistant Studies.

“Education is the key though,” Martin said. “While PAs are a household word in all other states in the U.S., because Mississippi was the last state to allow licensure of PAs, we’re not yet as well known. That is changing rapidly, however. When physicians see the depth of our training and recognize how much we can add to their practice, they increasingly want to work with a PA.” Martin said it is difficult to know the average salary of a PA in Mississippi because there are so few PAs in Mississippi compared to other states. In the American Academy of Physician Assistants 2019 Salary Survey, the 75th percentile for PA salaries in Mississippi is $106,000, not including bonuses or other forms of compensation.

Of the 182 PA graduates from MC, 82 have stayed in Mississippi. About half of the students enrolled in the MC program are from out of state.

PAs are particularly needed in rural areas.

“It is difficult to get medical providers to go to rural areas,” Martin said. “Many of our students are from rural areas and often return there. Student loan repayment opportunities also entice physicians, PAs, and NPs as well. Our program mission is to prepare PAs to provide primary health care services in medically underserved areas of Mississippi and surrounding states.”

Most PA-Cs, however, are working in higher population areas. Martin said that is because there are more jobs available in urban and suburban areas and it is harder to recruit medical providers to rural areas.

The shortage of primary care providers, in particular, is well-documented both in Mississippi and nationally. Martin said PAs are well-trained to meet this need.

Almost all PAs are trained with a strong primary care foundation. They then may go on to enter a specialty.

“There are PAs in the White House, stationed abroad with the State Department and military, and, of course, all of across the nation,” Martin said. “The U.S. military, the National Health Service Corps, the U.S. Public Health Service, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, and many others offer scholarships and loan repayment after graduation.”

Martin said PAs are educated in the medical model designed to complement physician training.

See PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT, Page 20

Health Care

Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, 2019

Q

Mississippi Business Journal

Q

19

Progress being made at state’s mental health facilities

By LYNN LOFTON mbj@msbusiness.com

The state’s mental health system is complex and serves not only people who have a mental illness, but also those with intellectual and developmental disabilities and substance use disorders. Strides have been made over the past several years to strengthen the mental health care system to meet residents’ needs.

“The progress that has been made and the progress that will continue to be made would not be possible without Bailey the commitment and efforts of our staff, community service providers, other state agencies, peer specialists, advocates, family members and our community partners,” says Wendy Bailey, Chief of staff for the Mississippi Department of Mental Health.

“Services and supports have been expanded and new ones implemented to help in our mission, including mobile crisis response teams, community transition homes, crisis stabilization beds, Programs of Assertive Community Treatment, Intensive Community Outreach and Recovery Teams, court liaisons, Crisis Intervention Teams, supported employment, supported housing, and Mental Health First Aid training for the public. While there is no perfect system, that doesn’t mean we will stop working to improve the lives of the people we serve.”

She points out that the state’s four psychiatric hospitals have a lower readmission rate than the national average.

These hospitals are working with Community Mental Health Centers to improve the transition process as people leave inpatient care and return to their communities.

“As an agency, we have and always will acknowledge weaknesses along with strengths as we seek improvement. We want to continue improving and supporting a continuum of care,” Bailey said. “In partnership with peer support specialists, advocacy organizations, families, state

agencies and many other partners we have made many improvements and will continue our commitment to the mission of our agency and Mississippians.”

She lists understanding the importance of mental health and making it a priority as a major issue for the state. That means tossing out preconceived notions.

“Mental illness is much more common than we think. An estimated one in five Mississippians will experience mental health issues during their lifetimes,” she said. “Though seldom talked about as openly as physical health issues, mental illnesses are common and, more importantly, they are treatable. There is nothing to be ashamed of for seeking help. The more we talk about mental health, the more we understand how to support one another, and the more we understand how to support one another, the stronger we become.”

The Mississippi Department of Mental Health requires a group of Core Services be provided by every Community Mental Health Center in the state. This includes services such as Outpatient Therapy, Community Support Services, Psychiatric/Physician Services, Crisis Response Services, Psychosocial Rehabilitation, Targeted Case Management, and others. “These other services such as crisis stabilization units and intensive community supports have been expanded to additional counties in the state,” Bailey said. “While every service is not available in every county, progress has been made to help improve access to care.”

Services expanded in the past year: » five more 16-bed Crisis Stabilization Units for a total of 13 These beds offer time-limited residential treatment services to serve adults with severe mental health episodes and have a 91.6 percent rate for diverting people from having to enter the state hospitals for inpatient treatment. » provided funding for two additional Programs of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) teams for a total of 10

» seven regional Community Mental Health Centers (CMHC) awarded grants for Supported Employment programs » collaborated with Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services on implementation of Supported Employment around the state » through the collaboration, CMHCs will hire or designate Supported Employment Specialists to work with vocational rehabilitation counselors to coordinate employment services and monitor health of employees Supported Employment is an evidence-based way to help people diagnosed with mental illnesses secure and keep employment. » Supported Housing is also available through a program known as CHOICE – Creating Housing Options in Communities for Everyone. CHOICE ensures people with a serious mental illness can live in the most integrated settings in the communities of their choice by providing an adequate array of community supports/services. » CHOICE program is a partnership between DMH, Mississippi United to End Homelessness, Open Doors Homeless Coalition, Mississippi Home Corporation, and the CMHCs. » piloted an Intensive Community Outreach and Recovery Team (ICORT), with the Region 2 CMHC, Communicare » providing four additional grants for ICORTs in regions that do not have a PACT Team. These teams are able to target rural areas where there may be staffing issues or clients are spread out over a large geographical area.

ICORTs are mobile and deliver services in the community to enable an individual to live in his or her own residence. » working to expand Crisis Intervention Teams as a partnerships between law enforcement agencies, community mental health centers and other behavioral health professionals in an effort to divert people exhibiting mental illness symptoms from arrest

“In partnership with peer support specialists, advocacy organizations, families, state agencies and many other partners we have made many improvements and will continue our commitment to the mission of our agency and Mississippians.”

Wendy Bailey, Mississippi Department of Mental Health Chief of Staff

Health Care

20 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, 2019

Better experience at Merit Health Madison key for UMMC surgery patients Like hundreds of Mississippians, Harry Miggins is on dialysis while waiting for the kidney transplant that will greatly improve his quality of life.

But pending that, several of his vessels have been widened and strengthened to make it easier for his blood to flow to and from a dialysis machine.

Dr. James Wynn, University of Mississippi Medical Center professor of transplant surgery, performed two outpatient procedures to better accommodate needles required for dialysis.

Miggins’ surgery took place not on UMMC’s campus in Jackson, but at Merit Health Madison, thanks to a business venture between the two hospitals. It allows Medical Center physicians to perform lowrisk, non-complex surgeries and provide post-operative care and clinic visits at Merit Health’s facilities in Canton, effectively expanding UMMC’s adult hospital capacity and operating room availability.

And, it allows UMMC providers to be more easily accessible by patients and families.

Miggins loves it. Each of his surgeries were in the morning, and he was home by early afternoon. “I got in and out pretty fast. It was a good experience,” said Miggins, who lives in Jackson.

Parking at Merit Health Madison, a quick jog off the Nissan Parkway West exit, “is really good,” Miggins said. He and his father were able to park just steps from the visitors’ entrance.

At a time when competition for patients can be fierce in the health-care market, the relationship between UMMC and Merit Health Madison is just the opposite. UMMC surgeons work side by side with Merit Health Madison’s surgical nurses, anesthesiologists and surgical support staff in providing select short-stay procedures.

UMMC daily copes with constraints on operating room space, hospital bed space and ambulatory clinic space. The agreement allows room for more high-acuity cases and specialty procedures to take place at University Hospital.

“Merit Health Madison is proud to partner with the University of Mississippi Medical Center to facilitate access to health care while allowing growth

of services for patients in central Mississippi,” said Brit Phelps, Merit Health Madison’s chief executive officer.

“Our community is benefiting from UMMC specialists, such as Dr. James Wynn, who can operate and follow up with their patients at Merit Health Madison.”

Dr. Thomas Helling, professor and chief of the Division of General Surgery, frequently performs procedures in the ORs at Merit Health Madison.

“What’s been a pleasant surprise for patients is the ease in which they can maneuver through the system,” Helling said. “It’s a light, airy environment, and it’s not crowded. Patients are having a good experience as they work through the surgery, post-operative care and discharge.”

Along with general surgery procedures, UMMC specialists are performing orthopaedic, breast, breast oncology, plastic, general and pediatric ENT, and vascular access surgery such as that performed on Miggins.

UMMC physicians are seeing breast, plastic and general surgery patients at clinic appointments there.

“If it’s a serious problem, there’s no question that patients would want to be where the facilities and expertise are, and that’s the main campus,” Helling said. “But if it’s a fairly quick operation with low risk, they’d prefer to be in a hospital that doesn’t have as much activity. Patients enjoy being out here, and they come from all over.”

Dr. Claude Harbarger, assistant professor of otolaryngology and communicative sciences, performs pediatric surgeries at Merit Health Madison every other Thursday. Most of the procedures are for ear tubes and tonsillectomies, he said.

“The patients and families who’ve gone there have had a very good experience,” he said. “It’s more of an in-and-out experience, and the check-in process is quick.”

It also loosens up operating rooms at Batson Children’s Hospital for children with more serious illnesses, Harbarger said.

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT Continued from, Page 18

“Students at our program are assigned to faculty-mentored learning teams,” he said. “Problem-based learning, team-based learning, lectures, objective structured clinical experiences, lab exercises, and supervised clinical experiences supported by technologic innovation and service are just a few strategies used to achieve this mission,” Martin said. “The program encourages scholarship, is responsive to changing health-care and societal needs, facilitates personal and professional growth, and promotes life-long learning.”

Courtesy of xxxxxxxx

Wynn performs an outpatient procedure on Miggins at Merit Health Madison.

It’s important to remember that Merit Health Madison is a free-standing hospital equipped with an Emergency Department, full radiology and anesthesia services, ICU services, and a full front-line health care team, Wynn said. “It’s great to have all of those capabilities, if something did arise in a surgery,” he said. “That patient could be admitted, if necessary, to a full-service hospital.”

Wynn performs kidney transplants at UMMC’s Jackson campus, and he’s providing a wide variety of procedures at Merit Heath Madison to help kidney failure patients begin dialysis or continue on it.

“Being able to further expand our surgical capabilities is a great thing, and access is easy for everyone,” he said. “Patients from the northern part of the state like to come here so that they don’t have to drive into Jackson.”

The seeds of the PA program at MC began in 2007 when Dr. Lee Royce, then president of Mississippi College, and Dr. Stan Baldwin, dean of the School of Science and Mathematics, identified the need to better address the health-care needs of Mississippi.

“They both new knew PAs could help, having come to Mississippi from other states where PAs were much more commonplace,” Martin said. “Dr. Robert Philpot was hired as the program’s new director and department chair. The program attained appropriate accreditation and enrolled its first class in 2011.”

Martin said in addition to training, their students are very involved in Mississippi communities. They volunteer

Merit Health Madison’s surgical staff, including veteran nurses and anesthesiologists, “are literally bending over backward to provide patients and families with a good experience,” Helling said. “Everyone seems very appreciative that we are out there and contributing to the success of the medical complex.”

Long-range plans are to explore care for UMMC inpatients at Merit Heath Madison and to perform surgeries there with a higher degree of complexity, Wynn and Helling said.

“We’re focusing now on developing a familiarity with the hospital and personnel, and we hope to expand that as we become more acquainted with the resources and support staff,” Helling said.

— UMMC

through service learning as a part of their curriculum at medical clinics in Jackson and Vicksburg and at other outreaches such as Stew Pot in Jackson.

“We also prepare them for medical service and outreach both here in the U.S. and internationally and many of our students do their clinical rotations around the world,” he said.

The Department of Physician Assistant Studies is currently accepting applications for the May 2020 session.

For more information about the application process, call (601) 925-7371 or visit the website www.mc.edu/academics/departments/pa/.

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MISSISSIPPI

Mississippi is where you break a sweat, and it’s where we all strive to live our best lives. We share your commitment to healthy living and the community we’re all a part of. You make Mississippi better every day, and you inspire us to make banking easier, so we all have more time to enjoy life as we take our next step together in this place we call home.

Health Care

22 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, 2019

WOMEN’S MEDICAL CARE CENTER

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2019 OFFICER PROMOTIONS Jeremy Wesson

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, POLICY ADMINISTRATION

On November 1, 2019, Jeremy Wesson, FALU, FLMI, CLU, ACS was promoted to Senior Vice President, Policy Administration. Jeremy joined the Company in 2005 after working in the Life Insurance industry for nine years for American General and New York Life. He was promoted to Regional Underwriting Manager in 2010, to Director of Underwriting in 2017, and was named Vice President of Underwriting and New Business Administration in February 2018.

Jeremy is a 1996 graduate of the University of Tennessee and has earned the following designations: Chartered Life Underwriting; Fellow, Academy of Life Underwriting; and Fellow, Life Management Institute. Additionally, he completed the Mississippi State University Strategic Leadership Program.

Mark Polk

VICE PRESIDENT SECURITIES MANAGEMENT In February 2019, Mark Polk, FLMI, CLU, ChFC was promoted to Vice President, Securities Management. Mark began his career with the Company in 1981 and has held multiple positions in several departments including Marketing and Policy Services.

Mark transferred to the investment area in 1998 as a Fixed Income Analyst. He was promoted to Portfolio Manager of mortgage ge backed securities in 2007. Mark currently oversees the management of the Companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s investments in bonds, stocks, and limited partnerships. He also serves on the Companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pension investment committee.

--Hŕˇ&#x2021; 6W\UHV

V VICE PRESIDENT LEGAL AND ASSISTANT SECRETARY L IIn February 2019, Jeff Styres, FLMI was promoted to Vice President, Legal & Assistant Secretary. Jeff ďŹ rst joined the P Company in 1998 as Staff Attorney and held multiple positions C within the Legal department before leaving the Company in 2001 w tto return to private practice. Before re-joining the Company in 2005, Jeff 2005 J ff was in i private practice in Mississippi and Alabama specializing in life, health, disability and ERISA claims litigation, as well as insurance defense, products liability, medical malpractice defense and pharmaceutical defense litigation. Since returning to the Company and most recently in the position of Senior Managing Counsel, Jeff has been active in the Companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s litigation and privacy functions, in addition to providing legal support to numerous departments in the Company.

Congratulations!

Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, 2019 • MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS JOURNAL • www.msbusiness.com

AN MBJ FOCUS: Leading Private Companies

Top 100 about how we are doing as a state The

I

t started as a routine call, one of many I make while researching the MBJ’s annual Mississippi 100, a ranking by revenue of the top private companies in the state.

But after pleasantly updating his company data, Bob Dunlap, CEO of Dunlap & Kyle, Inc., in Batesville, flipped the script: “So, how is Mississippi doing this year?” he asked.

I’ve been a researcher for five years and a journalist for almost 40 years, but by FRANK BROWN no means am I an economist.

“Well, overall I think the state’s businesses are growing,” I replied, grasping for answers like a magician pulling a rabbit out of his ... hat. “But, I think the growth is slow, especially for businesses near the bottom of the top 100.”

A closer look somehow supported my thoughts.

I compared the earnings of firms who submitted actual numbers (no MBJ estimates) the last two years.

About 62 percent showed growth, while 38 percent showed loss. That sounds good on the surface, but should over a third of a state’s Top 100 businesses be losing money?

But that analysis is on a small sample and unscientific. Besides, evaluating the economy isn’t the purpose of the Mississippi 100.

We publish this list for a couple of reasons.

It’s data that can educate Mississippians about state businesses, and it’s information that is difficult to find.

We use annual revenue as the list criteria because we feel it illustrates company activity better than profit and loss.

Some businesses cooperate, and some take

MISSISSIPPI

100 List of state's top pri vate

pride in being on a list that has been published annually for 31 years. Others would rather protect their data, citing competition and security concerns.

This year, almost three-fourths of the Mississippi 100 companies openly provided information about their operations -- a 50 percent jump from just three years ago. Others did not return requests for information for various reasons — some technical, some forgetful, and some who just didn’t participate.

At that point, we studied online analysts, company web pages, published articles and phone calls for guidance in determining estimates.

Is every estimate correct? We wish. Maybe someday. But my goal for the list is to spotlight

companies for 2019

firms that belong in the Mississippi 100, even if their revenue estimate is off by a few dollars (or a few million dollars).

Companies on the list also change through mergers and acquisitions. In the spirit of the list, we continue to acknowledge some companies owned by out-of-state equity firms that still have Mississippi headquarters and still meet the criteria.

After all, it is about Mississippi businesses, and some people want to know how Mississippi is doing.

Right, Bob?

» Frank Brown a list researcher with the Mississippi Business Journal, compliled the Mississippi 100.

24 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, 2019

Leading Private Companies

SUPER SIX: Mississippi’s companies offer an array of services

By LYNN LOFTON mbj@msbusiness.com The top six companies — the Super Six — on the list of Mississippi’s Top 100 private companies are a diverse group. The sectors represented include petroleum refining and distributing, banking, construction, tire services and insurance. The top six are Ergon, BancPlus Corporation/BankPlus, the Yates Companyies, Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance, Southern Tire Mart and Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance. Rankings are based on reported revenue by companies headquartered in Mississippi.

Ergon is No. 1 and was also No. 1

on the list in 2018. Currently with 2,300 employees, the company was founded by Leslie Lampton in 1954 with two employees to refine and distribute petroleum products. Along with their subsidiary companies, Ergon is engaged in a wide range of operations including sophisticated crude oil processing, marketing naphthenic and paraffinic specialty oils, producing and marketing specialty asphalt products, manufacturing and marketing road maintenance products and machinery, transporting and terminaling raw materials and refined products, propane marketing, oil and gas exploration and real estate development.

According to Ergon’s website, “Our horizons have expanded since we first began, but our mission remains the same: meet needs, support families, serve customers. We attribute our progress and achievements to one ingredient: our people. Through the

efforts of forward-thinking, responsive employees and the integrated relationships of our company’s many components, Ergon has built a synergistic company in the fullest sense of the word.”

Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company

BancPlus Corporation/BankPlus rose from number 40 on last year’s Top 100 List to No. 2 this year. President and CEO Bill Ray commented on the company’s significant rise. “Our growth is a direct result of our efforts to establish a culture of empowerment at BankPlus throughout all levels of our organization,” he said. “Through this effort, we define and continuously communicate what being a high performance organization means, and every team member is focused on those goals. We work hard, but we also make it a key point to have fun and celebrate our wins along the way.”

BancPlus has 750 employees and is looking toward future growth.

“BankPlus has grown organically at a very good pace over the last several years. In September, we announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire State Bank & Trust Company whose internal culture is very similar to our own,” Ray said.

“When this merger is complete, we will extend our footprint throughout Mississippi, and we will begin operating in Alabama and Louisiana as well.”

No. 3 on the list, The Yates Companies, was founded in 1964

by William G. Yates, Jr. This family owned company has offices in Philadelphia, Biloxi and Gulfport and provides a wide range of construction and building services. Engineering News Record ranks it among the top construction services providers in the country.

Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance ranks as No. 4, a spot it also held in 2018 and up from No. 5 in 2017. This multi-line regional property and casualty insurance company operates in six states — Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina. Established 72 years ago, the company is one of the largest property and casualty insurance companies in the nation and employs 1,610 people. It has a rating of A+ from A.M. Best Company, a rating held by less than 17 percent of property and casualty insurance companies in the nation.

With 3,500 employees, Southern Tire Mart ranks No. 5 on the Top 100 List and has more employees than the other five companies of the Super Six. It also was No. 5 last year and was No. 6 in 2017. Begun in 1973, Southern Tire Mart has locations throughout the southern United States. The company’s website lists the following honors: No. 1 North American Commercial Tire Dealer since 2012; No. 1 Truck Re-treader in North America since 2007; and No. 1 Commercial Tire Dealer in the U.S. since 2008.

Rounding out the Super Six is Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance, a company founded in 1946 to provide term and whole life coverage. The company has 650 employees, 3,779 agents, 11 states covered and more than one million policies in force.

Leading Private Companies

Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, 2019

Q

Mississippi Business Journal

C Spire nears completions of 5G work

By NASH NUNNERY mbj@msbusiness.com Mississippi-made C Spire, the nation’s largest privately owned mobile services firm, is in the final stages of completing work for the company’s transition to 5G. C Spire announced last month that home and business customers are already experiencing a 15 to 20 percent improvement in mobile broadband speeds based on upgrades to software and the installation of new base stations.

“5G is a rapidly evolving technology and we’re not close to being finalized,” said Brian Caraway, general manager of the company’s wireless division. “It’s still underdeveloped and there’s still some work ahead to get 5G widely deployed.

We are in the early stages.

“But, we are closing the ‘digital divide’ in rural areas of Mississippi with all the upgrades to systems and bringing more fiber (optic) to more locations in the state.”

What exactly is 5G? In the simplest possible definition, 5G is the fifth generation of cellular networking and the next step in mobile technology. The first generation of mobile networks (retroactively referred to as 1G) came out around 1982. It was a fully analog system until the launch of 2G (second generation networks), which made the jump to digital when it launched in 1991. 2G also added cellular data in the forms of GPRS and EDGE technologies.

Ten years later, 3G networks launched, offering an even faster data rate than 2G. The current LTE networks — known as 4G — is the fourth generation of networking. 5G networks will presumably offer a similar leap forward when it comes to things like data speed.

Though the company’s full release of 5G is steadily approaching, adopting the technology isn’t like flipping on a switch. C Spire has installed over 9,000 route miles of fiber optic cable and upgraded over 1,200 cell sites in its wireless network but there are still many more steps to go before customers can take advantage.

According to professional services network Deloitte, technology companies in the U.S. alone will spend between $130 -150 billion in fiber optics cabling to meet 5G demands.

Craig Sparks, C Spire’s chief innovation officer, said the conversion to 5G is a sound investment and will be the technological foundation for home and

business in Mississippi and beyond.

“5G is generational technology and will bring so much more than 3G or 4G,” he said. “There are lots of things that 5G brings to the table – the simple answer is that the emergence of 5G is significant.”

Technology experts are predicting that in four years, more than one billion users will rely on 5G and its promises of speeds at least seven times faster than the average 4gLTE browsing experience. Francis Dinha, the co-founder of software company OpenVPN, says that the increased speeds and connections 5G brings will mean big things for businesses.

“The average 4G browsing speeds run at an average of 56 Mbps,” he said. “5G would bump speeds up to 490 Mbps.

According to C Spire officials, the updated base stations and software is necessary to ensure a smooth transition from current 4G LTE technology.

“We are uniquely positioned with low, mid and high-band spectrum to ensure that we design and engineer a network that is truly customer inspired and fully meets customer needs for speed, latency and coverage,” said Alan Jones, senior vice president of access and deployment for C Spire.

In recent years, C Spire has expanded its home services by offering 1 Gig, live streaming TV and digital home phone.

According to senior media relations manager Dave Miller, the company’s CSTV may be the only Mobi-TV appbased platform blending linear and IP TV in the southeastern United States.

Ashley Phillips, C Spire’s general manager for home services, said offering television services is part of the com-

pany’s ‘soup to nuts’ approach for the customer.

“It’s important for our customers to know that we can deliver the fastest internet speeds in the country,” he said.

“Delivering up to 1,000 megabytes

upstream as well as downstream is important to them.

“How we treat our customers is where the rubber meets the road.”

Q

25

26 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, 2019

Leading Private Companies

Courtesy of Yak Access

Yak Access employees work together to create a project plan that provides the best access solutions even through the toughest terrains.

Yak Access culture stems from its roots

By NASH NUNNERY mbj@msbusiness.com English poet and playwright William Shakespeare once famously wrote, “What’s in a name?”

At Yak Access, the company name says it all.

“A lot of people wonder why we are called ‘Yak Access’,” said Kathy Hopper, the company’s director of marketing.

“Yaks are strong and dependable animals that travel in herds, carrying heavy loads through tough terrain and used for centuries to transport goods across mountain passes. Our employees work together to create a project plan that provides the best access solutions even through the toughest terrains.

“For those reasons, we believe our name is both memorable and shows the strength and endurance of our team.”

Yak Access is one of the largest and most versatile access companies providing matting solutions, installation and removal of temporary roads, construc-

The company stands by a core value system called IPUSH, an acronym for integrity, passion, unity, sustainability and humility. tion of permanent access roads and civil services for various construction industries throughout North America and parts of Canada.

With headquarters in Columbia, Yak Access was founded in 2017, combining the expertise of several matting

and service companies under one roof.

Those include: -Yak Mat - the largest supplier of access mats in North America -New South – Based in Madison, the company provides access solutions that protect and enhance environmentally

sensitive sites -BlueRoc – a construction division of Yak Access specializing in the electric transmission market -Klein’s Restoration – a small maintenance company offering a diverse suite of infrastructure services “In addition to our company headquarters in Columbia and New South in Madison, many of our mat yards are located in Mississippi,” Hopper said. “Also, many of the mills where we get our mats are located here, and we perform work with various utilities and contractors throughout the state.”

Last July, Yak Access acquired Ohiobased Klein Restoration to broaden Yak’s services to include restoration of sites, matting, site development, construction and traffic control solutions primarily to the powerline industry.

Yak Access CEO Jonathan Duhon said Klein’s is a natural fit under the Yak Access umbrella.

See YAK, Page 27

Leading Private Companies YAK Continued from, Page 26

“Klein’s blends seamlessly into our business, expanding our ability to serve customers and providing new avenues of growth,” Duhon said.

The Klein’s acquisition marked Yak Access’s third add-on acquisition after purchasing New South in 2016 and BluRoc in 2017.

Currently, the company employs 745 across 26 states, from Oregon to Florida and Maine to California. Mississippi boasts the most employees with 197.

The bulk of Yak Access projects are large-scale within the pipeline and powerline industries, according to Hopper.

“One of the main things that sets us apart (from competitors) is our ability to support large projects regardless of mat type,” she said. “Currently, we have two pipeline projects in Texas that equal over 500 miles each. These projects require a significant number of mats because of weather conditions, terrain and overall location.”

One of the largest projects in the company’s brief history was on the powerline side in Cainhoy, S.C., a location that proved quite challenging.

“This project was our largest wetland access job and used over 10,000 mats during an eight—month time period,” Hopper said. “It also (survived) and stayed in place during a CAT 4 hurricane.”

Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, 2019

Q

Mississippi Business Journal

Q

27

Hopper added that the Yak Access leadership team approaches each project separately, regardless of size.

“Whether it’s a simple road or an extensive pipeline right-of-way, we try to understand all of the factors and needs in order for the project to be completed successfully.” she said. “’Where is the project going to start and end?’ ‘What is the terrain like?’ ‘Are you looking to rent or buy the mats?’ ‘Do you need help with installation and removal?’ We ask all the pertinent questions to make sure to provide the customer with a custom solution to their project.”

The Yak Access culture stems from its roots. Originally part of the Jones Companies, the company stands by a core value system called IPUSH, an acronym for integrity, passion, unity, sustainability and humility.

“IPUSH is the foundation of our organization,” said Hopper. “Teams within each business unit work together and operate like a family.

“By adding these other businesses, it’s strengthened our leadership team, provided us with expertise we didn’t have, and allowed us to reach territories, geographical locations and customers we may not have reached otherwise.”

Samples of temporary access roads built for large construction projects.

THE CENTRAL PIPE SUPPLY ADVANTAGE • Extensive Product Selection representing the finest Manufacturers in the state • In business since 1975 • Well trained sales staff for superior service • AMI and AMA Meter Reading systems from Badger • Large Inventory levels maintained • Hands on local owners to facilitate quick decisions for maximum customer service

Pearl, MS | Memphis, TN | Little Rock, AR www.centralpipe.com

Courtesy of Yak Access

DUFF CAPITAL INVESTORS • • • • • • • •

Southern Tire Mart KLLM Transport Services Forest Products Transports Frozen Food Express Investment Transport Services Transport Risk Solutions Equipment Solutions Pine Belt Motors • Courtesy Ford • Pine Belt Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram • Pine Belt Chevrolet

• • • • • • • •

T.L. Wallace Construction DeepWell Energy Services DeepWell Equipment Rentals Southern Insurance Group Industrial Chemical Solutions Magnolia Inn & Suites Magnolia Grille Duff Real Estate

Leading Private Companies

Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, 2019

Q

Mississippi Business Journal

Q

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An Evening With Bill Ferris The Mississippi Association of Partners in Education presents the

2019 Winter-Reed Partnership Award Reception

Honoring Dr. William R. Ferris Tuesday, November 19, 2019 Â&#x201A; 6 p.m.

Two Mississippi Museums

GOOD NEWS IS WORTH REPEATING! Digital Reprint Article or list will be reformatted with Mississippi Business Journal masthead on the top of the page and be provided in PDF format.

Framed Article

Proceeds from the event will be used to enhance the program services of MAPE. Individual tickets are $75 and may be purchased online at mapems.org or through MAPE, 141 Executive Drive Suite 1, Madison, MS 39110. For sponsorship opportunities, visit mapems.org or call 601-837-1080.

Event Sponsors as of Oct 30 Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, LLP Chevron Products Company, Pascagoula Refinery CREATE Foundation Delta State University Mississippi State University Teller Hassell & Hopson, LLP Trustmark

Plaque - 9â&#x20AC;?x12â&#x20AC;? or 8â&#x20AC;?x10â&#x20AC;? - $199

Articles are reformatted to ďŹ t on either one or two pages with Mississippi Business Journal masthead on the top of the page.

Article size is 8.5â&#x20AC;? x 11â&#x20AC;?.

Frame size - 14â&#x20AC;? x 16.5â&#x20AC;? - $199

Framed articles take approximately one month to complete.

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601-364-1044 Fax: (601) 364-1007 WAYS TO ORDER Âť Call: Fax or mail: Mississippi Business Journal Attn: Marcia Thompson-Kelly 200 North Congress St, Ste 400, Jackson 39201 Email: marcia.kelly@msbusiness.com or submit a request online at http://msbusiness.com/mbj-article-request/

Leading Private Companies

Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, 2019

Q

Mississippi Business Journal

Q

31

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Without our people, our company cannot exist. We owe it to them to provide a safe work environment.â&#x20AC;? ď&#x161;ź EVAN HASKINS, CSP, CTSP

DIRECTOR OF HEALTH AND SAFETY, BLUROC

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just care about our teams when theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re on the clock, we care about them all the time.â&#x20AC;? ď&#x161;ź ROBBIE SIMMONS

HEALTH, SAFETY, AND ENVIRONMENT DIRECTOR, YAK MAT

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Safety is not just a decision, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a mindset. It is a deliberate act.â&#x20AC;? ď&#x161;ź BLAINE SISTRUNK

DIRECTOR OF SAFETY & DOT, NEW SOUTH

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The most important thing is that everyone goes home at the end of the day.â&#x20AC;? ď&#x161;ź JONATHAN DUHON CEO, YAK ACCESS

AT YAK AC C ESS FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT: YAKACCESS.COM/SAFETYMATTERS

32 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, 2019

Leading Private Companies

MISSISSIPPI 100

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Southern Pipe & Supply thanks our 942 employees â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who, to us, are family members â&#x20AC;&#x201D; for their contribution to us once again being named a Fortune Top 100 Medium Best Places to Work in America. The recognition says â&#x20AC;&#x153;Southern Pipe,â&#x20AC;? but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s you, our dedicated family members, who have earned a place in the spotlight.

SouthernPipe.com

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s our family members who really shine.

Leading Private Companies

Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, 2019

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MEMBER FDIC

Leading Private Companies

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HALF SHELL FOR THE HOLIDAYS! GIVE THE GIFT OF GREAT FOOD G For every $100 in gift cards purchased, receive a $20 comp card* for yourself ! *Comp cards good Jan 1 - Feb 12, 2020 at all Half Shell Oyster House locations

LET L E US HOST YOUR HOLIDAY PARTY Skip the mess and the stress by having your holiday get-together at our place!

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Hattiesburg | Flowood MADISON! Visit our website for a complete list of locations www.HalfShellOysterHouse.com

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1301 26th Avenue, Gulfport | 228.206.2744

CALL US TODAY TO BOOK YOUR HOLIDAY PARTY! Open Daily at 11am | Saturday & Sunday Brunch 11am-2pm Happy Hour Daily 4-6pm | 100+ Bourbons, Ryes & Scotches

Leading Private Companies

Oct. 19 - Nov. 1, 2019

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Going beyond whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s possible in Mississippi.

Jones Walker LLP is committed to helping clients address todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s challenges, maximize opportunities, and set the stage for future success. We practice in key industries â&#x20AC;&#x201D; from manufacturing, construction, and housing, to banking and ďŹ nancial services, gaming, and other rapidly changing, technology-driven industries.

Our attorneys practice law at the highest levels of creativity and efficiency, with an emphasis on delivering the best possible legal representation no matter the market condition or speciďŹ c situation. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no wonder that BTI Consulting has repeatedly recognized Jones Walker as a member of its Client Service A-Team.

Jeffrey R. Barber Office Head jbarber@joneswalker.com 601.949.4765

Suite 800 190 E Capitol St Jackson, MS 39201 joneswalker.com

ALABAMA | ARIZONA | DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA | FLORIDA GEORGIA | LOUISIANA | MISSISSIPPI | NEW YORK | TEXAS Attorney Advertising. No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other attorneys.

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