MBJ_Nov29_2019

INSIDE — Petition drive highlights effort to save Sun-n-Sand motel — Page 4

40

CONSTRUCTION

YEARS

1979

www.msbusiness.com

2019

Nov. 16 - 29, 2019 • Vo. 41 No. 46 • 40 pages

$35M Canton apartment complex under construction — Page 8

MBJ FOCUS

Banking {Section begins P19}

» Cryptocurrency could be to financial transactions what word processors were to typewriters » BankPlus adjusting with times

{The List P23} » SBA Approved Lenders

Law & Accounting {Section begins P24} » CPAs on firmer ground this year helping clients understand income tax laws

{The List P26} » Oldest Accounting Firms

2019 SPECIAL SECTION Begins page 27

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2 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q Nov. 16 - 29, 2019 TOURSIM

Mississippi Aquarium will reach hearts and minds beginning in April

Courtesy of Mississippi Aquarium

Gulf tube.

BY THE NUMBERS

MISSISSIPPI AQUARIUM Courtesy of Mississippi Aquarium

3D map outdoor.

By LYNN LOFTON mbj@msbusiness.com

Occupying 5.8 acres in downtown Gulfport, the Mississippi Aquarium expects to open on April 30, 2020. All Mississippians can be proud of this new attraction that’s located on Highway 90 across from Jones Park and Gulfport Harbor. It will contain more than 80,000 square feet of exhibits connected by landscaped walkways with plants representing all the physiographic regions of the state. The Aquarium will include indoor and outdoor interactive habitats with more than 200 species of animals from the land, water and air. At the entrance, guests will be greeted by three massive sails standing 65 feet in height, each representing one of the Aquarium’s three pillars: education, conservation and community.

“Guest and animal interactions are taken to the next level through SeaTrek, a helmet diving experience,” says CEO David Kimmel. “Guests will fully immerse into the main aquatic wonders habitat where they will get up close and personal with fish, sharks, rays and much more. There are only a handful of other aquariums in the nation that offer this experience.”

One of the more interesting features is a 360-degree suspended acrylic tunnel. “While most aquariums have a 180-degree tunnel on their ground levels, Mississippi Aquarium’s tunnel goes directly through the main habitat,” Kimmel said. “This will give guests a chance to ‘walk on water’ while having views of marine life from every angle with six feet of water above them and 12 feet of water below them.”

The care and welfare of the animals is the top priority as Mississippi Aquarium obtain accreditation from multiple industry institutions including the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), American Humane Association (AHA), International Marine Animal Trainers’ Association (IMATA) and Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums (Alliance). These accreditations will make Mississippi Aquarium the only accredited aquarium in the state.

“Mississippi Aquarium will make coastal Mississippi an area noted for premiere family-friendly attractions and is expected to boost the local economy with an expected 487,000 visitors who will visit restaurants, hotels and shopping amenities,” Kimmel said. “Mississippi Aquarium is an anchor for economic development in and around the downtown Gulfport area. The newly opened Centennial Plaza and the second location of Patio 44 have helped revitalize the downtown area. The restoration of the historic Markham building—which has been abandoned since Hurricane Katrina in 2005—into a 124-room Hyatt Place at the Markham will also play a role in rejuvenating the area.”

Approximately 100 full-time jobs will be created by Mississippi Aquarium with additional part-time and volunteer opportunities available after opening.

Mississippi Aquarium is funded through a public and private partnership with 90 percent of the funding from City of Gulfport bonds, Mississippi Development Authority grants, Restore Act and Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) funds. The other 10 percent will come from private donations through the Mississippi Aquarium Foundation. “The goal is that by the time Mississippi Aquarium opens the facility will be self-sustaining. At this time our Foundation goal is on target to be met.” Kimmel said.

Constructing any major project can be a challenge.

“With the construction of an aquarium you are also faced with an added challenge of introducing animals to a new habitat and helping them adapt to their surroundings,” says Diana White of the Aquarium’s marketing staff. “However, the team of professionals at Mississippi Aquarium is up to the challenge.”

Education will be an important focus. “Reaching the hearts and minds of all guests by connecting them with the planet’s most precious ecosystems is the driving force behind Mississippi Aquarium’s Education Department,” White said. “The education programs are designed to inspire, connect and instill not only a respect for the marine environment, but also empower conservation action and

» More than 1 million gallons of fresh and salt water » 5.8-acres of indoor/outdoor campus » 487,000 estimated visitors per year » 200+ species in 12 habitats » 50 species of non-toxic plants » 100 full-time employees » 45 part-time employees » $338 million estimated economic impact » 30-foot long, 360-degree tunnel » 65-foot tall Sails entry fountain

promote sustainable choices for the future.”

Mississippi Aquarium will host Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (S.T.E.A.M.) focused field trips that give students and teachers an opportunity to experience onsite exploration and hands-on lessons in a state-of-the-art classroom. The University of Southern Mississippi and Mississippi State University are education partners. Southern Mississippi will participate in saltwater research and education and Mississippi State will support veterinary services to provide their students with hands-on opportunities. “Reaching the hearts and minds of all students and guests throughout the state and region will be easier with Mississippi Aquarium’s community outreach vehicle, the Mobile Marine Unit (MMU). The MMU will travel across the state and region to provide education about animals and ocean conservation,” Kimmel said.

Individual and Family memberships are available for purchase by visiting msaquarium.org or by calling 228.205.0536. “Members will receive access to enhanced aquarium experiences that include member only events such as appreciation nights and exhibit preview parties,” White said. “Members also have access to express entry, reduced prices on retail and food services and discounts on guest tickets.”

Nov. 16 - 29, 2019

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Mississippi Business Journal

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GAMING

Homegrown casino company making economic impact

By LYNN LOFTON mbj@msbusiness.com

When two boyhood friends from Gulfport were among the first advocates for gaming in the state in the late 1980s, they weren’t quite sure where that path would lead, but Rick Carter and Terry Green were on the bandwagon for legalized gaming from day one. In 2018 as the owners of Island View Casino, they were recognized for their leadership with induction into the Mississippi Gaming Hall of Fame “We certainly have come a long way,” Managing Partner Rick Carter says. “We were among the first to lobby the Mississippi Legislature, resulting in the passage of the Cruise Vessel Gaming Act.” They continued to lobby the legislature for a more stable business model and have seen the state’s gaming model progress to the current law that allows casinos on land. The partners started their own gaming company on an out-of-use cruise ship docked in Gulfport. It operated as The Copa and graduated to a large dockside barge before Hurricane Katrina destroyed it.

“After Hurricane Katrina, Terry and I were not sure if we could come back.

Thankfully, our leaders from around the state came together and passed House Bill 45 on September 30, 2005, (just 30 days after the most devastating storm to hit the United States),” Carter said. “When Grand Casino decided not to re-build in Gulfport, we saw the opportunity and made a deal to buy the property so we could come back on land.”

On September 15, 2006, their casino opened as Island View Casino Resort offering guests a destination resort experience with hotels, entertainment venues and more room to grow. That growth led to the opening of the Beach Hotel and Casino on the South side of Highway 90 in 2015.

“Our focus has always been on growing our business to give our customers the best experience possible, and we have been committed to reinvesting in the Coast where we both grew up,” Carter said. “It’s wonderful to be able to give back to the community. While things were tough from 2008 through 2012, fortunately, since 2013, the Coast’s economy has continued to improve giving us the ability to continue reinvesting and expanding.”

Carter won’t say Island View is the only gaming company headquartered in Mississippi but he says they are definitely the only casino company headquartered in Gulfport, Mississippi. “Terry and I were both raised in Gulfport. We have always felt there was great opportunity to invest in Gulfport and the Coast,” he said. “We knew we could compete on the same level as some of the ‘big casino powerhouses’ and we do. We attribute this to many things, including the leadership in our state. I truly

Courtesy of Island View Casino Resort

Beach Casino Night Shots

BY THE NUMBERS

ISLAND VIEW

Courtesy of Island View Casino Resort

2019 World Food Championships winner Jackie Seavey, executive sous chef, Island View Casino Resort

believe Mississippi has handled gaming the right way since day one – always learning and looking ahead.”

With approximately 1,800 employees, Carter thinks Island View is the largest private-employer in Gulfport. “Our payroll and benefits are unbelievable – literally hundreds of millions of dollars since we have been operating. Terry and I support local businesses too. If we can purchase a product or service from a Mississippi vendor, we will, so long as the price is fair and the quality what it should be.”

He adds that Island View’s My Insider program has more than 300 local vendors where the casino’s customers can receive special discounts and vendors receive the company’s marketing support. The casino’s landlord, the Mississippi State Port Authority at Gulfport, receives millions each

» 1,800 employees » 974 hotel rooms, including 80 suites » 120,000 square feet of gaming space » 2,600 reel and video slot machines » 49 table games » sports book in both casinos, including self-serve kiosks » 18-hole championship golf course » two swimming pools » Blue Shell Spa » two retail outlets » 10 food and beverage outlets » two lounges

year in lease payments helping generate jobs supporting the Community Development Block Grant program.

“As one of 26 casinos operating in Mississippi, Island View generates its fair share of the taxes that result in millions going to the state general fund, to Gulfport as well as Harrison County schools, police and fire protection,” Carter said.

Island View recently entered into an

agreement with Gulfport to donate $2 million to the Mississippi State Aquarium and $2 million for the Christmas Lights production at Jones Park over the next 10 years.

“People like that we are local. As a private, locally owned business, we recognized the opportunity to further invest in the Mississippi Gulf Coast’s future. We support our area’s tourism industry and generate an economic impact, including the creation of Mississippi jobs,” Carter said.

Looking at future growth, Carter said, “We own a large footprint of real estate in Gulfport and hope to expand further at our existing facility. Of course, we are always looking at new development opportunities, including those within Mississippi and outside the state.”

Observing that more hotels and restaurants around the country are offering a smoke free environment, the partners made the Beach Hotel and Casino non-smoking facilities. “We wanted to offer smoke-free options to our customers and guests seem to love it,” Carter said. “I believe Beach Casino was the first and only casino on the Mississippi Gulf Coast to be designed and built as a smoke-free facility.”

Carter says he and Green have never wavered on their belief in giving back. Some of the non-profit groups they support include Lynn Meadows Discovery Center, Feed My Sheep and the Harrison County Humane Society. They also have organized relief efforts when storms have hit in neighboring states.

4 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q Nov. 16 - 29, 2019 JACKSON

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Millsaps Cabot Lodge Hotel to close Dec. 15

JACK WEATHERLY/MBJ

Petition drive highlights effort to save Sun-n-Sand motel

By JACK WEATHERLY jack.weatherly@msbusiness.com JACK WEATHERLY/MBJ

The ‘lodgy’ feel typifies the style of the Cabot Lodge hotels, including this one in Ridgeland, which has been sold and is undergoing a repurposing as a senior-citizen facility.

By JACK WEATHERLY jack.weatherly@msbusiness.com

The Cabot Lodge Hotel at Millsaps College is scheduled to close before the end of the year as a long-term lease to operate the hotel comes to an end. Employees of the hotel were notified by MMI Hotel Group, which manages the hotel and leases the property from the college.

The Cabot Lodge sits on an approximately 15-acre parcel at the intersection of Woodrow Wilson Avenue and North State Street. The land is owned by Millsaps.

“For nearly 50 years, Millsaps students, parents, alumni, trustees, and friends of the College have stayed at the Cabot Lodge when they came to town for campus visits, athletic events, commencement, and more,” Dr. Robert W. Pearigen, president of Millsaps, said in a release. “While many fond memories have been shared within its walls, it is exciting to consider what can become of the 15-acre northeast corner of campus when the building is removed.”

The decision to close the hotel was based on the age of the building alongside market changes in the area, as newer hotels close to campus have opened or are scheduled to open soon, according to the lease.

Micajah Sturdivant, president of Flowood-based MMI, said Tuesday that the management company “simply elected not to renew the lease.” The hotel’s last day of operation will be Dec. 14, Sturdivant said.

MMI sold the 200-room Cabot Lodge in Ridgeland earlier this year to investors for $3.7 million.

The investors, who include Heritage Hospitality of Ridgeland and Fusion Hospitality of Tupelo, are converting the hotel into a senior-citizen housing facility.

The hotel at Millsaps will be the last Cabot Lodge, Sturdivant said. MMI was established in 1956 and now has 17 properties in its portfolio, including the Cotton House hotel, which opened this year in Cleveland, Miss.

“No one could operate a Cabot Lodge today,” Sturdivant said of the unique brand that mimics classic lodges of a different era.

Pearigen said MMI has been “wonderful business partners and supporters of Millsaps, and they will continue in their role as a leader in the hospitality industry around the country.”

“We are looking at ideas and proposals to develop our northeast corner,” said Pearigen. “Our goals remain to develop the corner in a way that reinforces our mission, attracts and engages students, connects our campus with the community and the medical corridor, and produces revenue.”

The Mississippi Heritage Trust has asked the state Department of Archives and History (DAH) to declare the vacant Sun-n-Sand motel in downtown Jackson a historic landmark to prevent its demolition.

The state Department of Finance and Administration (DF&A) bought the property for $1 million early this year and plans to raze the motel, which was shut down in 2001.

It has been on the Heritage Trust’s Ten Most Endangered Historic Places since 2005.

The motel on Lamar Street earned a colorful history as a gathering place for legislators to hash out bills outside the glare of public scrutiny.

The DF&A plans to continue to use the property for parking, primarily for state employees.

The Archives and History department said in a prepared statement recently that a 30-day public comment period started on Nov. 5, at the end of which “if the building is designated [a landmark], demolition would require a permit from the [DAH] board of trustees.”

The DAH placed the motel under such consideration at its Oct. 25 meeting, according to the statement.

The current owners decided to leave the modernistic sign for the motel while demolishing the building, which is scheduled for next year.

Lolly Rash, executive director of the Heritage Trust, said that the plan to destroy the motel that was opened in 1960 by legendary Mississippi businessman Dumas Milner was put in place after Lamar Properties sold the property to the state.

Rash said the petition as of early November had more than 1,100 signatures.

The Heritage Trust states on its petition that “the first step in analyzing whether this publicly owned building can be saved should

be a Historic Structures Report detailing its current condition.”

Chuck McIntosh, director of communications for DF&A, said that the standard procedure is for the MDAH to request such a report.

The MDAH said in an email to the Mississippi Business Journal that “a historic structures report would not typically be required for Mississippi Landmark consideration. If the board designates the property a Mississippi Landmark and the owner still wants a demolition permit, MDAH could then require a historic structures report.”

When the motel was put on the endangered properties list, Lamar Properties “rebuffed” developers because it “had no incentive to lose the steady stream of income that the State of Mississippi paid to use the hotel’s parking lot,” the petition states.

“The new owner, the State of Mississippi, has stated that this historic hotel that speaks to Mississippi’s colorful past is too far gone to be saved . . . .”

McIntosh said that a couple of developers approached agency Executive Director Laura Jackson after the property was bought but did not pursue the matter.

The Heritage Trust said in an earlier statement that “its free-form, space-age sign recalls the mid-twentieth century Las Vegas style atmosphere and hints at its reputation as the place to party in Jackson.”

“When the legislature legalized liquor in 1965, the Sun-n-Sand was one of the first bars to open in Jackson.” Some legislators were “voting dry and drinking wet” at the motel’s bar, the trust said.

Famed Mississippi author Willie Morris wrote some of his book “My Cat Spit McGee” at the motel and noted it as the site of “many years [of] egregious political wheeling and dealings, not to mention secretive trysts.”

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

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MBJ PERSPECTIVE

Nov. 16-29, 2019 • www.msbusiness.com • Page 5

» RICKY NOBILE

» OTHER VIEWS

Website: www.msbusiness.com Nov. 16-29, 2019 Volume 41, Number 46

Remember all during holiday season

ALAN TURNER Publisher alan.turner@msbusiness.com • 364-1021 TAMI JONES Associate Publisher tami.jones@msbusiness.com • 364-1011 ROSS REILY Editor ross.reily@msbusiness.com • 364-1018 FRANK BROWN List Researcher frank.brown@msbusiness.com • 364-1022

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» INSIDE MISSISSIPPI

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

Is Black Friday shopping ruining family-friendly Thanksgiving?

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H

appy Black Friday, er, I mean Thanksgiving.

Yes, super shopping day Black Friday seems to be more top of the mind these days than family-friendly holiday Thanksgiving.

Guess that’s just another example of how our lives have become much more transactional than relational.

“With maxims like ‘what’s in it for me?’ ‘I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine’, and ‘quid pro quo’, our society is becoming more and more transactional” says an article by lifestyle entity Victorious Living. “We did not stumble into this society. For generations, the American way has been about open market consumerism. Which as an economic exercise has certain values and benefits that do not translate well when we take the same approach to matters in other arenas.”

Hmmm.

Traditionally, this time of year has been mostly relational with large family gatherings at grandma’s for turkey and dressing. It’s been a time for hugs, sharing family joys and griefs, and letting children play with rarely seen cousins. The most transactional aspect of this I can remem-

BILL CRAWFORD ber was maneuvering to get the drumstick, the best after dinner seat for football, or the recliner for a nap.

Now we are coaxed to shop early for Black Friday on the afternoon of Thanksgiving. And the long lines poised to stampede into stores when the magic time arrives are seldom family-friendly relational events. A website called BlackFridayDeathCount.com says since 2006 there have been 12 deaths and 117 injuries from Black Friday shopping.

Of course, Thanksgiving has always been a transactional event for turkeys. Even more so this year.

A story at TheConversation.com says we Americans will eat about 210 million turkeys this year. That’s up from 125 million in the 1970s. But due to innovation in turkey growing, that number won’t be 342 million this year. It seems 132 million turkeys won’t be slaughtered because modern techniques yield 25 pounds of meat per turkey versus 15 pounds in the ‘70s.

Ironically, as our surging transactional behavior devalues relationships and erodes our emotional and See CRAWFORD, Page 6

t’s easy for us at times to forget that not everyone in our communities has enough to eat. As we approach the holiday season, the majority of Americans will attend or even host gatherings where a plethora of food is served.

From turkey and dressing to ham and mashed potatoes, the meals we indulge in during Thanksgiving and Christmas are just as synonymous with the holidays as football and shopping.

Yet we often forget that many Americans go without enough food or the food they truly need to be eating.

That’s certainly the case in Mississippi where many reports and surveys find that our residents simply fall through the cracks too often.

According to the Kids Count Data Center, 20 percent of adults and 30 percent of children under 18 don’t have consistent access to nutritious food in Mississippi. A majority of these Mississippians live in food deserts, which are defined by the USDA as having a poverty rate above 20 percent and with 33 percent of the population living a mile or more from the nearest grocery store.

Food insecurity, which is when a person is unable to obtain a sufficient amount of healthful food on a day-to-day basis, stands at 19.2 percent in Mississippi, according to the latest Map the Meal Gap report.

A number of organizations throughout the state focus incredible time and resources to combat this issue.

Numerous volunteers gather regularly at food pantries throughout Mississippi where they collect, sort and distribute boxes of groceries to those in need. These pantries serve many families who otherwise might not have nutritious meals. The number of families the pantries serve continues to increase each year.

These types of efforts are exactly what our communities across Mississippi need to continue in order to help the residents with the greatest needs.

During the coming week across Mississippi, the spirit of the season will be honored with free Thanksgiving meals for all who want them.

We ask you to keep them in mind as you gather for the holidays this season and make an effort to give back any way you can.

The Salvation Army, churches, schools and other food programs are preparing now for next week’s holiday meal. The need and ability to supply basic human needs to many in our communities sustains the spirit of the first Thanksgiving days and seasons. The Book of Psalms, as in many other real-life situations, offers appropriate inspiration: “Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” (from Psalm 108)

— The Daily Journal

Perspective

6 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q Nov. 16 - 29, 2019

» RICKY NOBILE

CRAWFORD

Continued from, Page 5

mental health, our bodies benefit from eating healthier turkeys. You see today’s modern turkeys are barn-raised, growth hormone free, and free of antibiotic residues.

Hmmm.

This suggests we can be thankful this year for the many benefits science has brought to our lives. More and healthier food. New life saving medicines, treatments, and medical procedures. Safer cars and trucks. And so on.

Or not.

You see much of our shift toward transactional behavior is driven by new and titillating gadgets and targeted sales methods made possible by modern science.

Here’s the ultimate buy now, buy more example – my cell phone knows and can tell me what wow gadgets I’m likely to crave and where to buy them. Whether it’s Facebook or Google ads or uninvited texts and emails, neat stuff selected just for me will appear on my phone whether I want it to or not. (Yeah, you can block some of it but it comes right back.)

You can see where all this is heading.

Unless we each purposefully keep Thanksgiving focused on giving thanks for blessings, family, and yummy food, the real turkeys on Thanksgiving will soon be us.

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” - Thessalonians 5:18. » Bill Crawford (crawfolk@gmail.com) is a syndicated columnist from Meridian.

» UNDER THE CAPITOL DOME

Espy says he’s better prepared for 2020 campaign

D

emocrat Mike Espy says he has a clearer strategy to win a U.S. Senate seat in Mississippi in 2020 than he had when he ran for the same seat last year.

Espy anticipates another showdown with Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who defeated him in a November 2018 special election runoff.

In announcing his 2020 candidacy Nov. 12, Espy said he wants to build on his base of support from the 2018 race, focusing particularly on increasing the turnout among African American voters. Espy says he also has data showing which Republican-leaning precincts in Mississippi are most likely to flip to Democratic.

The college town of Starkville, for example, is receptive to Democrats. The mostly white Jackson suburb of Madison County had a slight Democratic majority in the Nov. 5 governor’s election.

“We can’t win with black votes alone. And I shouldn’t,” Espy told The Associated Press. “We have to create a coalition of black voters and white voters all over Mississippi who believe in vision of a more modern Mississippi.”

Espy in 1986 became Mississippi’s first African American congressman since Reconstruction. In 1993, President Bill Clinton named him U.S. secretary of agriculture.

Republicans have solidified their power in Mississippi in the past generation.

Mississippi hasn’t had a Democrat in the U.S. Senate since John C. Stennis left office in 1989. The state’s fourterm attorney general, Jim Hood, has been the only Democrat holding statewide office in the past dozen years, and he lost the governor’s race this year to Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves.

Espy and other candidates scrambled to assemble campaigns in early 2018 when longtime Republican U.S. Sen.

Mike Espy

Thad Cochran said he was retiring just over midway through a six-year term.

Republican Gov. Phil Bryant appointed the state’s agriculture commissioner, Hyde-Smith, to temporarily serve in the Senate, and he set a November special election to fill the final two years of the term.

Espy announced as a special election candidate immediately after Cochran’s retirement announcement, but he said in the recent interview that it took months to create a campaign structure.

“We didn’t get into the field knocking on doors until the end of August,” Espy said. “And even though we raised $7 million, it didn’t come in until October. So, there wasn’t enough time in that political cycle to mount a robust, vigorous campaign that it would take to defeat a Republican.”

Hyde-Smith won with 54 percent to Espy’s 46 percent.

“We made some mistakes in 2018,” Espy said.

He added: “We never quit running, really.”

Espy said his campaign hired BlueLabs Analytics, a Washington-based firm that works for Democrats, to evaluate his 2018 performance and set a new approach for 2020.

African Americans are about 38 percent of Mississippi’s population, but Espy said African Americans made up 32.5 percent of the people who voted Emily Wagster Pettus for any candidate in the 2018 Senate race. He said he is aiming to increase that percentage.

“In a presidential cycle in 2020, I think there will be an innate energizing of that vote,” Espy said. “I think that vote’s coming out.”

Espy said he needs to increase the black vote to about 35 percent of the electorate. He received 18 percent of the white vote in 2018 and said he needs to increase his share of that.

Espy said research shows the “number one flippable” area is a state House district in northeast Jackson and south Madison County. In the Nov. 5 election, Democratic challenger Shanda Yates unseated 32-year Republican state Rep. Bill Denny. Espy campaigned for Yates, knocking on doors and appearing on some of her campaign flyers.

Hyde-Smith is seeking a full six-year term. It’s unclear whether she or Espy will have opponents during the March 10 party primaries, but Espy’s long-term plan is to face her in the general election.

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

Perspective

Nov. 16 - 29, 2019

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Mississippi Business Journal

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» FROM THE GROUND UP

People learn in different ways so figure it out P eople learn in different ways. And no one way is best in every situation. Experts say there are basically three types of learners: » Listening learners; » Seeing learners; and » Touch/experience learners When it comes to training a team to do a certain task to learn something, the best method might not be showing them how to do something, but letting the group “figure it out.” This is an example of learning by experience, but it can also be a way for businesses or organizations to solve a problem or create an opportunity. This subject is on my mind because of three recent cases in which I saw how offering a group the opportunity or challenge to solve a problem resulted in some impressive outcomes and made me more aware of how learning occurs.

Last year, I was an adviser to a team of graduate students who were assisting an entrepreneur in the early stages of start-up. The business owner was a baker who knew a lot about her products and how to market them. She specialized in “sweet” bakery items such as cakes and cookies. She also knew how to use social media successfully. Demand for her products reached the point where she moved from her home kitchen to a business incubator. What she didn’t know much about was city and state regulation of businesses such as hers. She knew she needed permits, but was not sure which ones, nor how to get them..

That was a perfect opportunity for the student team

to assist her growing business. One of the members of the team inquired of yours truly as to what permits were needed. Being in the middle of a busy day I didn’t have time to tell the student team where to find the information, so I just said, “You figure it out.” Several days later, the team did indeed figure it out. They helped the entrepreneur get her permits. The business is thriving. One of the team members told me later that having them figure it out was one of their best learning experiences. They had to deal with a bureaucratic process and learn about laws and regulations. It also reminded me that sometimes the best learning happens when the students do it themselves.

In the second example, a few weeks ago I was volunteering at my grandson’s elementary school. I happened to be in a fourth-grade math class when I observed the teacher use the same method when a student asked a question.

The student, who was part of a team researching constellations, asked a question. Instead of answering the question, the teacher replied, “You’re part of a team that can give you the answer. Ask them to help you figure it out.”

The third example is from my son. I asked him if he had ever participated in a team that learned something on its own. Here is his reply: “In 8th grade English class we were given an assignment at the beginning of the year for a book report. The assignment was open-ended. We could write an essay, interpretive short story, give a speech to the class, or get more creative. I was assigned to a small group with another student

who was obsessed with big Hollywood movies. Winsor had the “story” knowhow, while I had the technical skills and equipment to make video. Together we decided to recreate some of the scenes from the book we both read, but as a big Hollywood movie.

“While I had some previous experience in using cameras and computers, Phil Hardwick Winsor would come up with the staging, action, dialogue, and any special effects. We basically just copied what we saw in big movies and the ‘behindthe-scene’ outtakes they put at the end of DVDs. “Our first video was completely butchered. But the process was so much more fun than writing an essay, and we scored a passing grade. Thankfully, our English teacher saw potential in our process and friendship, and encouraged us to make several other short videos throughout the semester. After a few of our own videos for class projects, we realized we had something going. We continued to make videos throughout middle school and high school, going on to win several regional film festivals and art competitions. Currently, I now work as a full time camera operator and video editor, while Winsor is a thriving film producer in Los Angeles.”

C Spire Health mobile app redefines the traditional doctor house call

ing with symptoms from a serious or chronic health condition, the individual is directed to their personal doctor, a primary care physician, specialist or local hospital emergency room for immediate help.

C Spire and UMMC are working to expand the program and add private HU MEENA insurance coverage, more medical professionals and facilities across the state as active participants so that consumers get the best quality and most timely care possible to effectively manage their preventative health care.

Technology innovation in health care is a key part of the C Spire Tech Movement, a company effort begun in 2017 also designed to help move the region forward through improvements in broadband access and workforce development.

The company has focused on technology education and getting more young people in software development and IT jobs through coding challenges with elementary and high schools and public-private partnerships that “fast track” hundreds of new academic and computer science opportunities.

C Spire also has been a leader in expanding broadband across its service area, including a ground-breaking residential broadband program begun in 2014, which has dramatically boosted internet access speeds for consumers and businesses.

» Phil Hardwick is a regular Mississippi Business Journal columnist. His email is phil@philhardwick. com.

» TECHNOLOGY

B

ack in the 1930 and 40s, most doctors visited sick patients in their homes with hands-on diagnosis and prescriptions for maladies ranging from a sore throat and the common cold to pneumonia.

Fast forward 80 years through the industrial, information and technology revolutions to the modern digital era.

Research, practice and consumer preference shows that the days of the doctor house call are long gone, replaced by visits to a doctor’s office, a local clinic, the emergency room or the hospital.

Today, consumers spend a lot of time traveling to and waiting for a scheduled medical appointment, but they can be more efficient with their time by leveraging telehealth, or connected care, which can save them time and money.

In Mississippi, C Spire and the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), leaders in technology and health care, have teamed up to introduce a new, mobile app that promises to improve access to quick, reliable and convenient health care for more people with minor ailments. Telehealth is a big deal for Magnolia State consumers, especially the poor and elderly in rural and underserved areas, who have few options and are forced to travel long distances with limited access to transportation. Oftentimes, they go to local hospital emergency rooms out of desperation.

A 2015 American Medical Association study concluded that almost 75 percent of all doctor, urgent care and emergency room visits are either unnecessary or could be handled safely and effectively via telehealth solutions. Clearly, telehealth technology can be one of the answers to this access dilemma.

The C Spire telehealth app is available to any consumer located in the state for download from the Google Play or Apple App stores to any smartphone that runs either the Android or iOS operating systems.

After downloading the app and registering for the service, consumers will be able to quickly and easily make an appointment and connect via their smartphone for a live video session with a licensed UMMC nurse practitioner.

The nurse practitioner can virtually evaluate, diagnose and prescribe treatments for over 20 common, minor medical ailments ranging from coughs, colds, the flu and seasonal allergies to headaches, earaches, sore throats and insect bites.

Video appointments cost $59 per visit and prescriptions are sent directly to a pharmacy in the patient’s area. The service has no contract or long-term commitment. Consumers can easily add dependents and are only charged at the end of the virtual visit.

If the diagnosis confirms that the consumer is deal-

» HU MEENA is the chairman and CEO of C Spire, a Mississippi-based diversified telecommunications and technology services company.

8 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q Nov. 16 - 29, 2019

CONSTRUCTION

SIGN OF SHIFT: $35M Canton apartment complex under construction in Madison county

By JACK WEATHERLY jack.weatherly@msbusiness.com If one assumes that proximity to the Nissan plant with its 6,500 workers explains the $35 million, 600-unit apartment complex under construction, one would be wrong.

Not so, says Hugh Jarratt, staff attorney for the management arm of Lindsey Construction Co. of Fayetteville, Ark. “The bulk of the renters will not be Nissan employees,” Jarratt said of The Trails at Madison County.

That fits in the larger picture of the multifamily housing market in metro Jackson, said James Turner, MAI, managing director of Integra Realty Resources for metro Jackson, elsewhere in the Mid-South as well as New Orleans.

Most municipalities in metro Jackson have moratoriums on new apartment buildings, Turner said in an interview.

So, Turner said there is “going to be quite a bit of demand for this suburban space.”

Towns in markets such as metro Jackson want to maintain what they feel is the integrity of their single-family-dwelling neighborhoods, he said.

So suburban markets provide a place for apartments. The Trails, which is in the city limits of Canton, though in the far-western, rural part of the town, will be able to avail residents of the city’s services, and is close to Madison, Ridgeland and Jackson, Turner said.

Canton’s recent annexation of that part

JACK WEATHERLY/MBJ

Project supervisor Skip Croft points out details of construction.

of the county, prevented Gluckstadt from grabbing it, according to observers. Gluckstadt is seeking to incorporate as a city.

Construction of The Trails, which is on the west side of Interstate 55 off the Sowell Road exit (114), started in June and is expected to be complete by the end of 2020, but units will be ready for occupancy as they are completed.

The site first had to be rid of Yazoo clay, a soil that is unstable for structures. Proj-

ect supervisor Skip Croft said 300,000 to 400,000 yards of the clay were piled up in a large mound, where it will remain till Lindsey decides what to do with it. The clay is suitable as a base for lakes and a cover for landfills.

Lindsey Management has had success in Mississippi.

Lindsey’s Links of Madison County and The Greens of Madison County are located west of the Nissan plant on Highway 51.

The Links was opened two years after the Nissan plant opened in 2003, and was followed by The Greens about a decade later.

The Links still has an 80-person waiting list, according to Croft.

Turner says the properties have proved successful for Lindsey.

Lindsey has complexes in Oxford and Starkville. There are a Links and Greens in Oxford, and a Links in Starkville. The Trails will bring the number of units in Mississippi to more than 2,700, Jarratt said.

Lindsey has built and operates about 50,000 apartments in eight states.

Jarratt said the prices on the Trails apartments, which include one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments in three-story buildings, some with two bathrooms, have not been set. Twenty-four units are designed to accommodate people with physical handicaps, Croft said.

Prices for one-bedroom Links apartments at Canton range from $705 to $755 and $705 to $770 for a one-bedroom unit at the Greens in Canton, according to their websites.

The Trails is set on 58 acres and features two lakes, a tennis court, volleyball court, basketball court, swimming pool, a clubhouse with fitness room, putting area and playground, as well as a walking and jogging trail that encircles the development – and provides the name for the complex.

ENVIRONMENTAL BUSINESS

JOBS

Presley elected president of national group

ANOTHER AMAZON CENTER TO BE OPENED IN NORTH MISSISSIPPI

The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) has elected Mississippi Public Service Commission Chairman Brandon Presley as the association’s next president. The election was part of organization’s annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas.

During his installation speech, he spelled out a yearlong theme: Bridging the Divide, aimed at ensuring that all undeserved communities — including rural areas such as those in many parts of Mississippi — benefit from modern utility services.

Presley “Many challenges exist for the least, the last and the left out,” Presley said.

He pointed out the important users of utility services who should not be overlooked, such as the family farmers, small-business owners, industries and working families who rely on decisions made by regulators.

Presley was elected to the Mississippi PSC for the Northern District of Mississippi in 2007 and was re-elected in 2011, 2015 and 2019. Before joining the PSC, he served as the mayor of Nettleton from 2001 to 2007. He is a graduate of Harvard University’s Kennedy School program for State and Local Government Executives.

— MBJ Staff

Amazon is locating its second Mississippi fulfillment center in north Mississippi. It will create 500 new full-time jobs at the facility in Olive Branch.

In December 2018, Amazon announced it was locating a fulfillment center in Marshall County, creating 850 jobs over three years.

“Amazon’s decision to locate a second consumer goods fulfillment center in north Mississippi is a tremendous milestone for DeSoto County and our entire state,” Gov. Phil Bryant said in a release.

The DeSoto County fulfillment center will be located in Legacy Park in Olive Branch. The company is leasing a 1-million-square-foot facility from which employees will ship large customer items, such as sports equipment, patio furniture, fishing rods, pet food, kayaks, bicycles and larger household goods.

The Mississippi Development Authority provided a $2 million grant for public road improvements surrounding the site and park. The DeSoto County Board of Supervisors is providing a $200,000 grant toward road improvements.

DeSoto County will negotiate a fee-in-lieu agreement in support of the project.

More about working at an Amazon fulfillment center can be found at www.amazondelivers.jobs.

— MBJ Staff

Trucker gets $3.4 million investment Advantage Capital announces it has invested $3.375 million in Richland-based Capital City Trucking. This follows an initial investment bu Advantage Capital earlier in 2019, which allowed the freight company to triple its employee base and pursue significant growth opportunities, according to release from the investor.

The latest round of funding will enable Capital City to upgrade its fleet, create additional jobs with high-quality driver benefits and continue to expand within Mississippi and across the country.

“This investment has enabled us to grow at a healthy rate, bring on new business and provide high-quality benefits and pay to our drivers in our local community,” said Trey Waterloo, CEO of Capital City Trucking. “With the initial investment, we grew our employee base from 28 to 84. This next round of capital will allow us to upgrade our fleet with the latest technology and support our rapidly increasing geographic footprint and service capabilities.”

The investment, in connection with the Mississippi Small Business Investment Company Act, will help Capital City grow its operations and bring good-paying jobs to Mississippi.

The act was passed in 2013 and is designed to attract capital investments to qualified small businesses in the state.

“We have spoken with many companies throughout Mississippi that are ready for growth but can’t find the financing they need. We are excited to continue our work in Mississippi and are looking to help more companies such as Capital City achieve their growth potential through the MSBIC program,” said Philip Ruppel of Advantage Capital.

Advantage Capital provides financing to established and emerging companies located in communities underserved by conventional sources of capital.

Since 1992, the firm has invested more than $3 billion in companies from a diverse array of industry sectors and has helped support more than 50,000 jobs. Learn more at www.advantagecap.com, or via Twitter or LinkedIn.

Sanderson Farms Championship earns PGA award For the second consecutive year, the Sanderson Farms Championship, held at The Country Club of Jackson, earned the PGA Tour award for “Best Charity Integration.”

The award recognizes the tournament that incorporates the tournament’s charity and theme into all facets of the event. Through onsite activation, year-round community initiatives, and title sponsor engagement, the Sanderson Farms Championship is united around the charitable goal – to raise funds and drive awareness for Friends of Children’s Hospital, a nonprofit organization created to support Batson Children’s Hospital, part of Children’s of Mississippi and the only children’s hospital in the state. The event also generates significant funds for other child-focused charities each year.

Batson Children’s Hospital is highly visible onsite during tournament week with patients, doctors, and

nurses greeting spectators at the main entrance.

Branded elements such as tickets, signage, tee markers, and client badges also help deliver the charitable message. Additionally, the title sponsor’s televised message during the Golf Channel’s broadcast, typically reserved for the sponsor CEO, was instead presented by a hospital executive.

In 2018, four PGA Tour players visited sick children at the hospital, and members of the PGA Tour Wives Association hosted a party for patients and players at The Country Club of Jackson.

The charitable donations ($2.235 million through 2018 event) from the Sanderson Farms Championship will fund construction of a seven-story, 340,000-square-foot pediatric tower.

GAMING

$2.5M in sales on 1st day of Mississippi lottery The Mississippi Lottery Corporation says people bought a total of $2.5 million in lottery tickets on the first day of sales.

In a news release, lottery officials said that translates into $570,000 for the state.

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Mississippi Business Journal

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— MBJ Staff & Wire Reports

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Associates Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Associates, PA is one of the oldest and largest Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery practices in central Mississippi. We take pride in providing exceptional surgical care to individuals from all walks of life and from every corner of the state. Our doctors incorporate the latest in technological advances to offer our patients the best care possible.

Our doctors are board-certified Diplomats of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, and offer treatment in all aspects of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery. Procedures include dental implants, wisdom teeth extractions, cosmetic and facial reconstruction, TMJ treatment and care, and pathological services. Dr. Brown and Dr. Seago are both certified in Allergan cosmetic injectables, specializing in Botox® Cosmetic and Juvéderm® Dermal Filler.

We practice in a private clinical setting, but maintain active staff privileges at regional hospitals and in ambulatory care centers. The support staff is highly trained, extremely patient and compassionate, and strives to make the surgical experience as pleasant as possible. Call us to set up a consultation. We would be honored to be your choice for all of your oral and cosmetic injectable needs.

DAVID E. SEAGO, DMD (pictured left) EDUCATION: Mississippi State University, University of Mississippi School of Dentistry RESIDENCY: University of Texas Medical Branch AFFILIATIONS/ACCOMPLISHMENTS: AAOMS, ADA President of Mississippi Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

Q

Tickets went on sale at 5 a.m. Monday. The tickets are available at nearly 1,200 retailers in 80 of the state’s 82 counties.

The lottery’s president, Tom Shaheen, says the state has exceeded expectations.

For decades, the state resisted a lottery. But in 2018, lawmakers authorized it as a way to pay for road maintenance and infrastructure needs.

For 10 years, the first $80 million goes to infrastructure needs and when the 10 years is over, that money goes to the general fund. Anything over $80 million goes to education.

PPHO HO OTO T BBY Y RON ON N BLL AYL AY YLLOCK Y O K OC

TRANSPORTATION

Nov. 16 - 29, 2019

JEFFREY S. BROWN, DMD (pictured right) EDUCATION: Mississippi State University, University of Mississippi School of Dentistry RESIDENCY: Howard University Hospital/Affiliated hospitals in Washington D.C. and Bronx, N.Y. AFFILIATIONS/ACCOMPLISHMENTS: AAOMS, ADA, SSOMS Lieutenant Colonel, United States Air Force Jr. Clinical Dentist of the Year, Air Force Commendation Medal, Meritorious Service Medal

106 Highland Way, Suite 207, Madison 100 Luckney Station, Suite B, Flowood 601.366.7324 | oralsurgeryjackson.com 193

10 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q Nov. 16 - 29, 2019

GOOD TOWNS — Clarksdale, Mississippi

GARY TRAMONTINA PHOTOS

Local guitarist Omar Gordon rocks the Ground Zero Blues Club, a destination for music lovers from across the globe.

Home of the Delta Blues, this crossroad of cultures gave birth to a uniquely American sound

By DOUG SEGREST » Spotlighting special towns across Mississippi, Good Towns, presented by Regions Bank, is about the character, the history, the people and the unique things that make a town a special place.

The intersection of Highways 61 and 49 is where Robert Johnson “sold his soul to the devil”, setting him on a path to become perhaps the greatest blues player of all time.

At least that’s how the story goes. Sometimes, the location changes. Music aficionados know that 61 and 49 cross in Clarksdale, Mississippi, at a spot called The Crossroads. And if you believe Johnson’s musical gift was bestowed by Faustian means, you know the site by its other name: The Devil’s Crossroads.

Earl Gabriel knows the legend. A native of Ocean City, New Jersey, he discovered the blues listening to gospel years ago. Since flying into New Orleans, he has spent four days on the backroads in a rental car, working his way up the Mississippi Blues Trail.

“I found Charley Patton’s grave in Holly Ridge and just came from where Muddy

Waters was born,” said Gabriel. “I just oldschooled my way up here with a map to get here.”

He stands at his latest stop, perhaps his most important one, underneath the neon light of the Ground Zero Blues Club. And that’s where Bill Luckett meets him, extends a hand and welcomes him in for a bite to eat.

Birthplace of rock ’n roll?

An attorney, former mayor and gubernatorial candidate, pilot and aspiring actor with 12 films to his credit, Bill Luckett founded the Ground Zero Blues Club in 2001, just months before the 9/11 attack, with another local businessman and morethan-dabbling actor named Morgan Freeman (both friends have roles in John Travolta’s upcoming film, The Poison Rose).

The partners converted the long-abandoned Delta Grocery & Cotton Store into the hippest music venue.

“Morgan and I became friends in the ‘90s, and one of his visits here we both looked around at the strangers in town and he asked the question, ‘Why are these visitors here?’” Luckett recalled.

GARY TRAMONTINA PHOTOS

The iconic guitars mark The Crossroads, where Robert Johnson and the Delta Blues took flight — or so the story goes.

Clarksdale had long been known as the home of the Delta Blues, drawing tourists and musicians often headed to Memphis, 90 minutes up the road, to play. The music, first inspired by African-American descendants of slaves, shaped American culture.

“Since we got started, it’s been a labor of love,” Luckett said. “I can’t say we’ve made any money off it. Not yet. We’re like Ole Miss football: Wait till next year.”

Luckett was reared in Clarksdale, while Freeman grew up nearby and returns to recharge in between Hollywood shoots. They both understand what the blues means to the community, if not the world. And the world comes to Clarksdale. In terms of the Delta Blues, this is the source of the Nile.

Contemporary legends Paul Simon, Robert Plant, Dan Aykroyd, Willie Nelson, Jerry Lee Lewis and Gene Simmons have stopped by the club. Ozzy Osbourne and his son recently taped a show for Ozzy and Jack’s World Detour on stage and around town. But Ground Zero, more than anything else, serves as a tribute to the artists who paved the way.

“Rocket 88 was the first rock ’n roll song, and it came out of Clarksdale,” said Luckett, referring to the 1951 record local musicians Jackie Brenston and Ike Turner recorded up the road at Sam Phillips’ Sun Studios. “In college, I listened to the (Rolling) Stones and, only years later, realized they were inspired by the Delta Blues.

Even today, hip-hop stands on the shoulders of the blues. Like Willie Dixon said, ‘The blues are the root, and the other musics are the fruits.’”

The Foundation for all music The Delta Blues are universal now, but they originated in the Deep South long before the Civil War. “The blues is a very distinctive African American form of expression,” said Dr. Charles K. Ross, Professor of History and Director of the African American Studies Program at the University of Mississippi. “It has its roots, I would argue, with slave-work songs. Also, you can’t take away the aspect of religious songs that African American slaves created.”

After the Emancipation Proclamation, the music continued to unfold in new ways.

“The blues became a musical form and an outlet — not only in terms of singing but in terms of instrumentals — that made it very distinctive from anything else,” Ross added.

The blues dealt with the stark realities of growing up in a Jim Crow Era, interpersonal relationships and the constant fight for equality. “It’s very secular. It touches on violence, sexuality and frustrations,” Ross added. “Without question, the blues laid the foundation for all the music that would evolve going forward – from jazz, to rhythm and blues to rock and rap.”

See CLARKSDALE, Page 11

Nov. 16 - 29, 2019

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Mississippi Business Journal

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11

CLARKSDALE Continued from, Page 10

Guitar hero In Clarksdale, The Delta Blues is the town’s first claim to fame, but the local food scene sustains the caravans of curious visitors. Ground Zero offers down-home eats, drawing a steady crowd during the day, and a late-night retreat, courtesy of nicely appointed upstairs apartments for rent by day, week or month. Graffiti covers the walls of the place, with names famous and obscure providing their Sharpie wisdom from floor to ceiling.

On a sunny, but brisk winter afternoon, a quartet from Croatia stops for a bite to eat at Abe’s BAR-B-Q, where the fixin’s are robust and the sauce has been divine since 1924. Down for the day from the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, the band finishes the meal and steps outside for keepsakes photos at The Crossroads, marked by iconic guitars.

After a late night of live music, the go-to for a hearty breakfast for those both budget conscious and ravenous is Our Grandma’s House of Pancakes. They open early, stay late and keep the crowds coming next door at a sports bar that draws steady crowds for pool and college football.

Ronnie Drew played his first professional gig at age 16. Now, the one-time banker sells and repairs guitars and amps in his downtown shop.[/caption] Fueled by food and needing to burn the edge off, visitors can wander a tightknit downtown. Just a few blocks away, they’ll find Ronnie Drew.

GARY TRAMONTINA PHOTOS

Graffiti covers the Ground Zero Blues Club from the floor to the ceiling.

as a banker. “But every time the bank got bought out, I’d have to learn another computer system,” Drew said. “Playing guitar was my hobby until I decided my hobby was better than banking.”

A Vox Beatle Amp, five feet high, sits in the storefront. It’s just like the original the Fab Four used to blow away crowds from Hamburg to the Hollywood Bowl. Even by today’s standards, it’s pricey. But back then

GARY TRAMONTINA PHOTOS

You can ride in style in Clarksdale.

He’s the mop-top proprietor of Bluestown Music. He started playing the guitar professionally at age 16. A half-century later, he’s back doing what he loves, and blues lovers from all over the world seek him out.

“Guitars, speakers, amps,” Drew said, showing off the inventory. “Anyone that plays the guitar stops here. If they need it repaired or just need a good instrument, they come to me.”

Once upon a time, Drew had a “real job”

from start to finish. He’s from New Jersey originally, met bluesman James Cotton in Chicago and came down to Clarksdale 28 years ago to explore the town and decided he’d found a home.

“James Cotton was like my stepdaddy,” said Harp of the legend who first gained renown on the blues harp for the Howlin’ Wolf band in the ‘50s before joining Muddy Waters’ band. “I was intrigued by the mystique of the blues and The Crossroads, and he first showed me around. Now Clarksdale is my base. They pay me a lot of money all over the world, but I always want to come back home to my shop.”

Back from a tour playing the Chicago and Delta Blues on stops in Switzerland, Australia, and Chile, he’s gearing up for April’s Juke Joint Festival by expanding his inventory at Deak Harp’s Mississippi Saxophones & Blues Emporium.

He calls the “saxophones” the custom-made “Deak’s Blues Whistle.” He takes Hohner Marine Band harmonicas, refurbishes and personalizes them, then plays like he made a deal at The Crossroads of his own — as the Osbornes learned during their Clarksdale trip – for his vistors. The song, of course, is The Devil Made Me Do It.

… you could buy a new Cadillac for what they cost,” Drew said.

Photos of famous visitors line the wall, including musician Tom Waits, The Office and Jack Ryan star John Krasinski and the incomparable Elvis Costello, who bought a guitar right here on Delta Avenue.

Deak’s Blues Whistle A block up the street, Deak Harp sits behind his desk polishing his newest instrument, ending a 15-hour labor of love

‘It’s in our DNA’ As night falls, the Ground Zero Club heats up. Despite the festival in Memphis, the venue is nearing capacity as LaLa Craig and her band – bassist Seth Hill, drummer Lee Williams and borrowed lead guitarist Walt Busby (of The Blackwater Trio) – deliver musical fire. As Craig sings, accompanying herself on an electric keyboard, the dance floor fills.

From a table, Javier Sanchez-Monedero and his girlfriend, Elena Ruiz Peralta, nod their heads to the rhythm of the music while their smiles spread the width of a

zip code. Sanchez-Monedero plays the alto sax for a blues band, Al Raso, back home in Spain and recently played the Blues Cazorla Festival, which claims to be that nation’s pre-eminent music event.

“I love to play, and my girlfriend loves to listen to music,” Sanchez-Monedero said.

“We had to come to Mississippi to hear where the blues came from, so we rented a car in New Orleans and drove. We love the freedom here.”

This old warehouse is truly an international destination. In fact, GZBC is ranked one of the top three best live music clubs in the world by Celebrated Living Magazine.

The others? Café Carlyle in New York and Preservation Hall in New Orleans.

The prestige doesn’t matter to Mr. Tom. He’s a local, a regular, who has his seat against the wall a dozen feet from the stage.

He has been showing up Wednesday night through Sunday since the club opened 18 years ago. A visiting artist was so taken by Mr. Tom that he asked permission to paint the man’s profile on the side exterior wall.

“I thought he’d take a week, but he did it in a day,” Mr. Tom says. “I love it. I love this place. There’s nowhere else like it.”

Omar Gordon is a Clarksdale native, too. As LaLa & Element 88 launch into their second set, they invite him onstage to jam. He first picked up a guitar 10 years ago. Now, he’s channeling Robert Johnson’s ferocity on stage, shredding with his instrument as he sings his original song, The Struggle: Times are hard, and there’s nothing else to do You’ve gotta get off your behind, and get a job or two One thing I know, you’ve got to get out the struggle “It’s just different here,” Gordon said, relaxing during the next break. “The blues, it’s what we are and who we are. This Mississippi music, it’s in our DNA.”

12 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q Nov. 16 - 29, 2019 GOVERNMENT/POLITICS

You only thought no man was above the law

T

he use of that misleading axiom “no man is above the law” should be restricted to political rallies and bars.

Our Orwellian laws make some men (and women) more equal than others.

The aspirational maxim may conjure an image of a blindfolded, toga-clad Lady Justice, holding antiquated scales in her right hand and a quick sword in her left. That Renaissance-era statue personifies impartiality. Similarly, “no man is above the law” suggests that the law applies the same to all people. These days, the phrase often finds itself in proximity to a President Trump reference.

But in application – especially in legal proceedings - the circular nature of the adage is revealed. Let’s review some stark examples.

The exception proves the rule?

Excusez-moi. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio found himself chin deep in agua caliente at the federal courthouse. Repeated civil rights violations by the former U.S. Marine and federal drug agent resulted in a finding of criminal contempt by a lifetime Article III federal judge. But just before sentencing, President Trump issued a full pardon. Sheriff Arpaio walked away a free man.

The “law” in this case turned out to be the Pardon Clause in the U.S. Constitution and “the man” a pardonee.

Where’s the beef? What about the poacher who crossed from Montana to Wyoming and, out of season and without a license, bagged several bull elk, and then crossed back to his home state with the meat? He unsuccessfully appealed his jury conviction through the Wyoming state court system before reaching the U.S. Supreme Court.

Five Justices let him off due to his ancestry.

You see, Clayvin Herrera (the hunter) was a member of the Crow Tribe and claimed hereditary hunting rights under an 1868 treaty.

The “law” in this case turned out to be a dusty treaty and “the man” a Native American.

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? A federal judge authorized the late-night search of William Jefferson’s office based on an 88-page FBI affidavit that read like a cheap crime novel. Although the FBI got its facts right, this William was no ordinary Billy. He was a bona fide member of the U.S. House of Representatives (D-La), and the raid occurred at Office Number 2113 in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill. The federal judge found no merit in his congressional immunity argument, but on appeal, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the

FORD WILLIAMS

D.C. Circuit held otherwise, struggling over the separation of powers between the Executive and Legislative branches. The Executive Branch was ordered to return privileged documents and prohibit the “FBI agents who executed the search warrant … from disclosing the contents of any privileged or ‘politically sensitive and non-responsive items,’” or otherwise assisting in the criminal prosecution.

The “law” in this case turned out to be the Speech & Debate Clause of the U.S. Constitution and “the man” a crooked Congressman.

You have the right to ... The tenacious NYPD Sex Crime Detective caught the serial rapist. Two victims provided positive IDs of the knife-armed perpetrator of a suspected 15 rapes in Manhattan. But at the station, 19-year old Manuel Ayree declared diplomatic immunity as the son of a low-level attaché to the Ghanaian UN delegation. The assailant was released and as punishment repatriated to Ghana.

The “law” in this case turned out to be the U.S. Diplomatic Relations Act and “the man” a junior diplomat’s son.

Judge Not … The California Superior Court Judge was irritated with the county public defender for missing the docket call. Surprisingly, the judge ordered the police to “rough him up a little” during an arrest.

The obedient police forcefully subdued the subject. After his bruises healed, the pub-

lic defender-turned-plaintiff filed a Section 1983 civil rights lawsuit. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit based on the absolute immunity afforded judges. On appeal, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit decided the state court judge had stepped out of the batter’s box and lost his immunity. In the final appeal, the U.S. Supreme Court exonerated the judge and reiterated that “judicial immunity applies even when the judge is accused of acting maliciously and corruptly.”

The “law” in this case turned out to be non-statutory case law on judicial immunity and “the man” a judge.

A clarification Based on these and numerous other examples, a clarification to the technically correct aphorism is required: “While it may be true that no person is above the law, the applicable law is not the same for all people.”

And Mr. President?

The federal legislative branch has 535 members. The federal judiciary is led by nine Supreme Court justices. The Executive Branch – the branch that oversees approximately 4.1 million of the 4.2 million federal employees - is headed by ONE POWERFUL PERSON. The Founders were intentional and rejected a multi-person tribunal: “The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States

of America.” The President is the commander-in-chief, fills all judicial, diplomatic and prosecutorial positions, possesses veto power, can fully pardon anyone of a federal crime, and Ben Williams controls the Executive Branch.

The Federalist Papers portray the president as a pseudo-monarch, but significantly restrained by a four-year term, re-election by the people, removal by Congress for specified cause, and specific delegation and reservations of powers (taxation, declaration of war, passage of laws, advice and consent, interpretation of law, the 10th Amendment, etc.).

Naturally, like the examples above, the law that applies to the President is justifiably different than the law that applies to the rest of us. Alexander Hamilton explained the concept in Federalist Paper No. 69: “The President of the United States would be liable to be impeached, tried, and, upon conviction of treason, bribery, or other high crimes or misdemeanors, removed from office; and would afterwards be liable to prosecution and punishment in the ordinary course of law.”

The esteemed Office of Legal Counsel in the U.S. Department of Justice has twice opined on this temporary immunity of the U.S. President. Both opinions, the most recent of which was issued in October 2000 (seven years into the Clinton Administration), held that the “indictment and criminal prosecution of a sitting President would unduly interfere with the ability of the executive branch to perform its constitutionally assigned duties, and would thus violate the constitutional separation of powers.”

Before you disagree, you should read the 39 pages of well-reasoned analysis.

Don’t fall victim to some sanguine belief that the law is the same for everyone. And don’t let your disdain or affinity for the current President skew your analysis of the law as it applies to a sitting president. While in office, the President has immunity from indictment and criminal prosecution. But unlike some other immunities that exist at law, the President’s immunity is temporary, and subject to re-election, term limits, and impeachment.

Ben Williams the author, is a Mississippi attorney.

Email Ben at MBWJ@aol.com. Ford Williams the artist, is a junior at the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD)..

Newsmakers Butler Snow adds 3 to Ridgeland office Caroline C. Loveless, Samuel J. Noblin and M. Elizabeth Roper have joined Butler Snow’s Ridgeland office. Loveless will practice with the firm’s tort, transportation and specialized litigation group, Noblin will practice with the firm’s public finance, tax incentives and credit markets Loveless group and Roper will practice with the firm’s pharmaceutical, medical device and healthcare litigation group.

Loveless received her bachelor’s degree and Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi, where she served as the notes and comments editor of the Mississippi Law Journal.

Noblin’s practice will focus on Noblin municipal bonds, new markets tax credits, opportunity zones, public finance and economic development incentives. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Mississippi, his MBA from Loyola University and his Juris Doctor from the Mississippi College School of Law, where he served at the associate editor of the Mississippi College Roper Law Review.

Roper received her bachelor’s degree from Mississippi College and a master’s degree from the Reformed Theological Seminary. She received her Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University Law School and clerked for Judge William J. Zloch in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida from 2012 to 2019.

Taylor named VP of Community Bank Laurel Sawyer Taylor has been named Vice President. A native of Laurel, Taylor recently served as Assistant Vice President and has been in banking for nearly three years. In his new role, Taylor will be responsible for overseeing deposit and loan relationships, as well as, the daily operations at Taylor our Laurel office.

Taylor is a graduate of Mississippi State University with a Bachelor in AgriBusiness minoring in Business Administration and Economics.

Active in his community, Taylor is a member of Rotary Club of Laurel and attends Crosspointe Community Church in Laurel.

Merit Health recognizes employees of the month Merit Health Wesley recognized two individuals who were nominated by their peers as Employee of the Month.

Toni Loomis, R.T., Radiology Department, was named Clinical Employee of the Month. Loomis has worked at Merit Health Wesley for more than two

Nov. 16 - 29, 2019

Baker Donelson 2nd nationally in Best Law Firms Metro Tier 1 Rankings Baker Donelson recently garnered 197 first-tier metropolitan rankings in the 2020 U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” list, an annual analysis that includes more than 14,000 U.S. law firms. These Tier 1 rankings across 13 markets in nine states earned Baker Donelson the second highest number of first-tier metropolitan rankings in the nation.

In Jackson, 22 Tier 1 rankings went to Antitrust Law, Business Organizations (including LLCs and Partnerships), Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law, Commercial Litigation, Corporate Law, Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Employment Law - Management, Environmental Law, Gaming Law, Health Care Law, Insurance Law, Litigation - Antitrust, Litigation - Construction, Litigation Environmental, Litigation - Labor & Employment, Litigation - Tax, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants, Mergers & Acquisitions Law, Person-

years.

Joyce Alexander, Environmental Services, was named Non-Clinical Employee of the Month. Alexander has served at the hospital for more than twelve years.

Merit Health Wesley congratulates these worthy award winners for their service to the hospital and community.

Adams and Reese attorneys recognized in Mid-South Super Lawyers Adams and Reese has announced the inclusion of 29 attorneys in the 2019 edition of Mid-South Super Lawyers (by Thomson Reuters), which includes the publication’s “Rising Stars” list.

BIRMINGHAM Richard P. Carmody, Bankruptcy: Business Charles C. Pinckney, Banking Stephen A. Rowe, Business Litigation Aaron G. McLeod, Appellate, named to Mid-South Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” JACKSON Holmes S. Adams, Estate & Probate William C. Brabec, Business Litigation C. Phillip Buffington Jr., Banking James A. Keith, Schools & Education Elizabeth Lee Maron, Employment & Labor Jeff Trotter, Energy & Resources Charles R. Wilbanks Jr., Class Action Timothy J. Anzenberger, Appellate, named to MidSouth Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” Alexander Bondurant, Energy & Resources, named to Mid-South Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” Matthew R. Dowd, General Litigation, named to Mid-South Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” Adam V. Griffin, General Litigation, named to MidSouth Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” Darryl A. Wilson, General Litigation, named to Mid-

al Injury Litigation - Defendants, Product Liability Litigation - Defendants, Real Estate Law, Tax Law. Seven Tier 2 rankings went to Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Compliance Law, Government Relations Practice, Litigation - ERISA, Litigation - Real Estate, Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants, Trusts & Estates Law. One Tier 3 ranking went to Labor Law - Management.

Baker Donelson ranked nationally in 30 practice areas, including earning a Tier 1 national ranking in eight practice areas: Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, Employment Law – Management, Health Care Law, Litigation – Construction, Litigation – Labor & Employment, Mass Tort Litigation/ Class Actions – Defendants, Real Estate Law The 2020 “Best Law Firms” rankings is produced by U.S. News Media Group and Best Lawyers.

South Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” MEMPHIS Donna L. Boyce, Personal Injury - Medical Malpractice: Defense James B. McLaren Jr., Real Estate Lucian T. Pera, Business Litigation Henry C. Shelton III, Bankruptcy: Business Jay Campbell, Mergers & Acquisitions, named to Mid-South Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” MOBILE April D. Smith, Business/Corporate, named to MidSouth Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” NASHVILLE Linda Edell Howard, Entertainment & Sports Philip M. Kirkpatrick, Intellectual Property Litigation Lynn Morrow, Entertainment & Sports Thomas Anthony Swafford, Employment & Labor Rob G. Breunig, Employee Benefits, named to MidSouth Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” TaKeena Thompson Sandifer, Personal Injury - Medical Malpractice: Defense, named to Mid-South Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” Maia T. Woodhouse, Intellectual Property Litigation, named to Mid-South Super Lawyers “Rising Stars”

GC Logistics receives Hire Vets Medallion GC Logistics of Ridgeland announced it is the only small business in Mississippi to receive the 2019 Hire Vets Gold Medallion Award. The U.S. Department of Labor awarded 427 employers from around the nation for recruiting, employing and retaining America’s veterans. The awards were presented at a ceremony hosted by Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia at the Department’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. GC Logistics contracts with government agencies and private organizations throughout the continental United States, to provide transportation services to veteran and civilian clients and to administer contracts

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through VA systems for services like maintenance and logistics.

Holifield elected to Mississippi Main Street Board Judi Holifield, the Executive Director of Laurel Main Street, has been elected to the Mississippi Main Street Association Board of Directors for a 2-year term beginning in January.

Holifield has served since 2011 as Executive Director of Laurel Main Street, a nonprofit leading revitalization efforts in historic Holifield downtown Laurel.

Before her Main Street career, Holifield was a choral music educator for 25 years, and in 2002, she redirected her energies from teaching students to teaching teachers and began a career working in school reform through the arts.

As the Whole Schools Initiative Director at the Mississippi Arts Commission, she administered a one million dollar grant from the United States Department of Education to model and disseminate arts integration strategies for classroom teachers through research and training.

Holifield has directed musicals for high schools, middle schools, churches and community theatre groups. She serves as a grant panelist in music and opera for the National Endowment for the Arts and state arts agencies.

MMSA provides two positions on the statewide board for Director Representatives. Each representative serves a two-year term and represents the 53 Main Street programs in Mississippi on a statewide level.

Holifield will serve with Brantley Snipes of Main Street Greenwood, who is serving as the 2019-2020 Director Representative on the board.

Tara Lytal of Main Street Clinton will complete her two-year term as a Director Representative on the state board in December.

Aldy earns Certified Association Executive designation

The American Society of Association Executives has announced that Linda Ross Aldy, Executive Director of the Mississippi Optometric Association (MOA) has been recertified for the Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation. The CAE is the highest professional credential in the association industry. She is one of only six executives in Mississippi currently credentialed.

To be designated as a Certified Association Executive, an applicant must have a minimum of three years of experience with nonprofit organization management, complete a minimum of 100 hours of specialized professional development, pass an examination in association management, and pledge to uphold a code of ethics. Aldy first received the designation in 2011. To maintain the certification, individuals must undertake ongoing professional development and activities in association and nonprofit management.

Less than five percent of association professionals currently hold the CAE credential. The CAE Program is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA).

Newsmakers

14 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q Nov. 16 - 29, 2019

Bradley’s Jackson attorneys named 2019 Mid-South Super Lawyers or Rising Stars Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP has announced that 18 attorneys in the firm’s Jackson office have been named 2019 Mid-South Super Lawyers or Rising Stars. In addition, Bradley Jackson partners W. Wayne Drinkwater , Alan W. Perry and William R. Purdy were named to the 2019 Top 50 Mississippi Super Lawyers list.

Across all the firm’s offices in Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee, 151 Bradley attorneys were named Mid-South Super Lawyers or Rising Stars.

“Once again, Bradley’s Jackson office is well represented in the annual Mid-South Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists by our attorneys who have been recognized as among the top lawyers in Mississippi,” said Bradley Chairman of the Board and Managing Partner Jonathan M. Skeeters . “We congratulate each of our ranked attorneys who continue to set the standard for providing business legal services in the region.”

Only the top 5 percent of lawyers in Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee are named Mid-South Super Lawyers. No more than 2.5 percent of lawyers in these states are selected as Rising Stars, who must be 40 years old or younger or have been in practice for 10 or fewer years. Published by Thomson Reuters, Super Lawyers determines its rankings through independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations. The Mid-South Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists are published in Mid-South Super Lawyers Magazine and in supplements in various regional publications, as well as distributed to attorneys and ABA-accredited law school libraries.

Following are the 14 attorneys in the firm’s Jackson office who have been named Mid-South Super Lawyers for 2019: – Roy D. Campbell III (General Litigation) – David W. Clark (Business Litigation) – W. Rodney Clement (Real Estate) – Margaret Oertling Cupples ( Appellate) – W. Wayne Drinkwater (Business Litigation) – Ralph B. Germany Jr. (Construction Litigation) – J. William Manuel (Business Litigation) – Mary Clay W. Morgan (General Litigation) – Alan W. Perry (Business Litigation) – William R. Purdy (Construction Litigation) – Joseph J. Stroble (Class Action) – Stephen L. Thomas (General Litigation) – Molly M. Walker (Personal Injury – Products: Defense) – Clarence Webster III (Class Action) Following are the four attorneys in the firm’s Jackson office who have been named Mid-South Rising Stars for 2019: – Simon Bailey (Class Action) – Alicia N. Netterville (Workers’ Compensation) – Erin D. Saltaformaggio (Business Litigation) – Michael Casey Williams (Intellectual Property)

Prowant awarded Mississippi Realtors Under 40 Award Brandon Realtor Victoria Prowant was honored with Mississippi Realtors Under 40 Award.

The Under 40 Award recognizes a Realtor for its excellence, service, and success.

Prowant manages over 50 agents, owns 60-plus rental properties, and closed over 100 transactions in the last year.

Bradley receives top rankings from 2020 U.S. News – Best Lawyers Best Law Firms Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP has announced that the 2020 edition of U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” has awarded 18 Tier 1 metropolitan rankings for the firm’s practice areas in Jackson. In addition, Bradley was named the nation’s “Law Firm of the Year” for Construction Law and the firm was ranked in Tier 1 nationally for its Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, Litigation Construction, and Mass Tort Litigation / Class Action - Defendants practices. In total, Bradley earned Tier 1 metropolitan rankings across 70 practice areas and in all 10 of its offices.

The firm received Tier 1 metropolitan rankings for Jackson in the following practice areas: – Appellate Practice – Bet-the-Company Litigation – Business Organizations (including LLCs and

Partnerships) – Commercial Litigation – Construction Law – Corporate Law – Health Care Law – Insurance Law – Land Use & Zoning Law – Litigation - Construction – Litigation - Environmental – Litigation - Insurance – Litigation - Intellectual Property – Litigation - Labor & Employment – Litigation - Real Estate – Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants – Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants – Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Brian Rell joins Balch & Bingham in Washington

2020 Mississippi Realtors Officers, Directors installed

Balch & Bingham has announced the addition of Capitol Hill veteran Brian Rell to the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. Brian will lead Balch’s Federal Public Policy & Government Relations Practice in Washington beginning November 1.

Rell joins Balch after serving U.S. Representative Robert Aderholt for eleven years as chief of staff.

Aderholt, a senior member of the powerful House Committee on Appropriations, is the Dean of the Alabama Congressional Delegation and serving in his twelfth term representing the Fourth District of Alabama.

Prior to his work on Capitol Hill, Rell managed state government affairs for McKenna, Long & Aldridge on behalf of Fortune 500 clients with issues before multiple state legislatures. He also served as a director at Metromedia Fiber Networks where he managed government relations for an S&P 100 company in their development of facilities-based fiber optic networks in the top 25 municipalities in the U.S. A Washington, D.C. native, Rell graduated from the University of Mississippi and earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Journalism.

The Mississippi Realtors installed its 2020 Officers and Directors: Keith Henley, Tupelo – President.

Dorothy Thompson, Jackson – President Elect.

Kris Davis, Columbus – 1st Vice President / Northern District Vice President.

Jon Ritten, Diamondhead – Southern District Vice President.

Gary Parker, Flowood – Central District Vice President.

David Massey, Oxford – Treasurer.

Adam Watkins, Hattiesburg – Immediate Past President.

Sandy Lane, Olive Branch – District 1 Director-at-Large.

Brian Gomillion, Walnut Grove – District 2 Director-at-Large.

Trish Fleming, McComb – District 3 Director-at-Large.

Jayne Robinson, Gulfport – District 4 Director-at-Large.

TEC announced the appointment of Daniel Dick as IT Business Analyst at TEC Services of Louisiana in Monroe. In this role, she will be responsible for enhancing the quality of IT services, solutions and products in line with business objectives by analyzing data.

Dick Dick received her Bachelor of Science in Business Management Data from Belhaven University. She is a certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Professional with experience in process improvement, sales, finance/administration, information technology, and project management.

America’s Top Trusted Corporate Law Firms of 2019.

The firm was also named “most recommended for” labor and employment law.

The inaugural list, created in partnership with market research company Statista, consists of 243 top U.S. corporate law firms based on the survey responses from 2,500 lawyers. Each survey participant was able to select certain areas of law in which to make recommendations, and each participant could make ten recommendations per area of law. The law firms that received the most recommendations were included on the list. When a firm received a higher number of recommendations than the average for a particular legal practice area, it was given a “most recommended for” designation.

Butler Snow’s labor and employment practice represents private and public sector employers throughout the United States in every aspect of the

Butler Snow named one of Belhaven grad appointed to America’s Top Trusted Corporate Law Firms TEC Services of Louisiana Forbes Magazine has named Butler Snow one of

The Best Lawyers in America and U.S. News & World Report ranked law firm practice areas nationally and across more than 180 metropolitan areas for the 2020 edition of “Best Law Firms.” Rankings are based on client evaluations, peer reviews from leading attorneys, and review of additional information provided by law firms as part of the formal submission process. To be eligible for a national or metropolitan ranking, a law firm practice area must have at least one lawyer in that practice ranked as a “Best Lawyer Butler Snow received six national rankings, including a tier 1 ranking in public finance law, a tier 2 ranking in corporate law and mass tort litigation/ class actions – defendants and a tier 3 ranking in commercial litigation, real estate law and tax law.

employment relationship. At the core of the practice is a philosophy that preventative advice and action are the most efficient means for resolving and preventing workplace disputes. Butler Snow excels in providing counseling, training, litigation defense, traditional labor relations representation and immigration services for employers.

Wright named to National Assessment Governing Board State Superintendent of Education Carey Wright is one of seven national leaders selected to serve on the National Assessment Governing Board.

The appointees will help set policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation’s Report Card. NAEP offers to the public and to education policymakers at the national, state and local levels, objective data on student performance in nearly a dozen subjects.

Mississippi is the only state in the nation to show significant increases in three of the four core NAEP subjects in 2019. Under Wright’s leadership, Mississippi has initiated reforms that have increased literacy skills in pre-K through the 3rd grade, pushed student achievement on the NAEP to improve at a faster rate than most other states, and increased the graduation rate to an all-time high of 84 percent.

NASA program recognizes Stennis employee Mirandy Stennis Space Center employee Jim Mirandy of Bay St. Louis was recognized by NASA’s Space Flight Awareness Program with an Honoree Award for outstanding support of human spaceflight.

Mirandy is a safety engineer with Bastion Technologies at Stennis. He was honored for exemplary support of the Stennis Mirandy Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate in displaying dedication, knowledge and passion for the safety of spaceflight support personnel, processes and systems.

Newsmakers John Dunaway receives high honor John Dunaway, FCSI, CCS, CDT, AIA, project architect and chief specifications writer at Canizaro Cawthon Davis Architects in Jackson, was elevated to Fellowship in the Construction Specifications Institute recently in a special award ceremony in National Harbor, Maryland.

CSI is a national association dedicated to improving construction information. Fellowship is one of the top honors given by CSI nationally, with Fellows of the Institute chosen by a jury of their peers and judged on their meaningful contributions to CSI and the construction industry.

Dunaway has been a part of Canizaro Cawthon Davis’ design team for over 23 years.

Southern AgCredit announces new staffers Southern AgCredit hired two new staff members in its Ridgeland offices.

Daniel Gilbert joined the rural lending co-op as a senior accountant in its administrative office. Jodie Morgan was hired as an office administrator in the Ridgeland branch office.

Gilbert Previously, Gilbert worked in accounting at a CPA firm and in higher education, as well as in timber and real estate sales. He is currently pursuing a Master of Accountancy degree at Mississippi College. He graduated with honors from Belhaven University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting and received the Achievement in Morgan Accounting Award. A native of Ridgeland, Gilbert was a scholarship baseball player at Delta State University, Hinds Community College and Belhaven.

Morgan is a graduate of Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Wesson. Prior to joining Southern AgCredit, she spent six years as a lending assistant at Bank of Franklin, a community bank in McComb.

Morgan resides in Byram with her husband, Travis.

Johnson named Hattiesburg Clinic’s Employee of Quarter Renea Johnson, a Chronic Care Management nurse with the Quality Management department, has been chosen Hattiesburg Clinic’s Employee of the Third Quarter.

Johnson has been with the clinic less than a year and has already made an impact through her work with patients.

Johnson As a CCM nurse, Johnson is responsible for calling patients who have chronic medical conditions each month to check in with them.

She helps them manage their chronic diagnosis and provides education on medications and the disease process. She also serves as a contact for those patients when they need assistance with appointments, abnormal symptoms or questions.

Nov. 16 - 29, 2019

Best Law Firms 2020 recognizes Brunini U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” 2020 has awarded Brunini in 32 tier-one rankings.

Metropolitan Tier 1 rankings: Gulfport: Gaming Law, Land Use & Zoning Law. Jackson: Administrative / Regulatory Law, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Communications Law, Construction Law, Corporate Law, Energy Law, Environmental Law, Litigation - Bankruptcy, Litigation - Construction, Litigation - Environmental, Litigation - Intellectual Property, Litigation - Land Use & Zoning, Litigation - Real Estate, Litigation - Securities, Litigation - Tax, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants, Media Law, Mergers & Acquisitions Law, Natural Resources Law, Oil & Gas Law, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants, Product Liability Litigation - Defendants, Real Estate Law, Tax Law, Trusts & Estates Law.

Renasant promotes Spearman to Executive Vice President Renasant announced that Stacy Spearman was named Executive Vice President and Senior Managing Director for the Renasant Financial Services Division of Renasant Bank. In his continued capacity with Renasant, Spearman will lead Renasant’s team of investment and wealth management advisors to assist clients in meeting their financial and investment goals.

Spearman received his BBA in Banking and Finance from the University of Mississippi, and is a graduate of both the Consumer and Commercial Schools of Banking at Vanderbilt University, in conjunction with the Tennessee Bankers Association. Since 2002, he has held the Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor’s designation from the College for Financial Planning in Boulder, CO. Stacy is Series 6, 7, 63, and 66 licensed and registered for securities in AL, FL, MS, TN, and TX. He is LPL registered as an Investment Advisor Representative and licensed insurance agent in the state of Mississippi.

Stacy and his wife have two children. A lifelong resident of Tupelo, Stacy attends The Orchard Church, is a past president and member of the Board of Governors for the Tupelo Country Club, past member of the Tupelo Rotary Club, and former volunteer with Troop 12 of the Boy Scouts of America.

Kinds named VP-elect for state’s National Organization for Student Success chapter A Mississippi Valley State University staff member was selected to serve as vice president for a state organization dedicated to ensuring student success.

MVSU’s Director of Developmental Studies and Academic Support Larry D. Kinds, Sr. was named vice-president elect for the Mississippi Chapter of the National Organization for Student Success (formerly Mississippi Association for Developmental Education) last week.

Kinds was unanimously elected for the position during the organization’s 38th Annual Conference, hosted Nov. 7-8 on MVSU’s campus.

Tupelo: Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants, Product Liability Litigation - Defendants.’

Metropolitan Tier 2: Jackson: Closely Held Companies and Family Businesses Law, Commercial Transactions / UCC Law, Employment Law - Management, Energy Regulatory Law, Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants, Litigation - First Amendment, Litigation - Labor & Employment, Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law, Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants, Trademark Law. Tupelo: Commercial Litigation.

Metropolitan Tier 3: Jackson: Corporate Governance Law, Elder Law, Labor Law - Management, Litigation - Antitrust, Litigation - Trusts & Estates, Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants.

He said he’s excited about the opportunity to help the organization strive towards its mission to improve the theory and practice of developmental education and student’s success.

A native of Greenwood, Kinds is a graduate of Mississippi Valley State University where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Education and a master’s degree in Business Administration.

The former America Reads MS (Americorps) Tutor has worked for the Greenwood Public School District as a Certified Tutor and a Computer Technology Asst.

In 2011, Kinds returned to his alma mater to serve as a counselor for the MVSU Office of Student Financial Aid. In 2016, Kinds joined MVSU’s University College team as the Summer Developmental Coordinator, and later became the director of Developmental Studies and Academic Support.

Kinds said his passion has always been motivating and helping students achieve academic success.

Waste Pro appoints new division manager Waste Pro announced the promotion of Stormy Lewis to the position of Division Manager in Jackson.

Lewis, a second-generation garbage woman, joined Waste Pro’s Hattiesburg division in 2013 as a temporary employee while earning her degree from University of Southern Mississippi. After Lewis graduating with a Bachelor’s in healthcare marketing, she joined Waste Pro full-time as Office Manager in 2016. In 2018, she became the division’s first female route supervisor and earned her commercial driver’s license through Waste Pro’s Co-Heart Program. Shortly after, she was promoted to her most recent position as the division’s Operations Manager.

Also, in 2018, Lewis was selected as a member of Waste Pro’s Leadership Initiative, a mentorship program designed to train a second generation of Waste Pro leaders.

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NASA program recognizes Stennis employee Beech Stennis Space Center employee Mike Beech of Carriere was recognized by NASA’s Space Flight Awareness Program with an Honoree Award for outstanding support of human spaceflight.

Beech is a manufacturing engineer for Aerojet Rocketdyne at Stennis. He was honored for his outstanding performance in supporting the development, modification, assembly and testing of the RS-25 engine.

Beech

Butler Snow Law Firm expands Baton Rouge office

Butler Snow is expanding the firm’s Baton Rouge office as the attorneys of Kantrow Spaht Weaver & Blitzer (APLC) will join the firm on Jan. 1, 2020, bringing the total number of attorneys locally to 24 and more than 385 attorneys firm-wide.

Butler Snow’s Baton Rouge office will become the fifth largest in the firm behind Ridgeland, Nashville, Memphis and Birmingham.

Attorneys joining Butler Snow’s Baton Rouge office are Connell L. Archey, Sidney M. Blitzer, Jr., Diane L. Crochet, Keith J. Fernandez, Jennifer Aaron Hataway, George P. Holmes, Lee. C. Kantrow, Jacob M. Kantrow, W. Scott Keaty, Alléna W. McCain, Julie M. McCall, Joshua G. McDiarmid, John C. Miller, Randal J. Robert, David S. Rubin, Bob D. Tucker and Richard F. Zimmerman, Jr. This is the latest expansion for Butler Snow in recent years. Earlier this year, the firm expanded in Charleston, S.C., after major expansions in Austin, Texas, Nashville, and Birmingham.

Founded in 1954, Butler Snow offers a full range of business and litigation services across a variety of legal practices. With these additions, the firm adds increased depth and breadth across many legal practice areas, further benefiting local, regional and national clients.

Butler Snow’s Baton Rouge office is located at 445 North Boulevard, Suite 501.

Carothers selected to council Chamberlan Carothers, CCIM, CPM of SVN | Southgate Realty, LLC was selected as the Chair of the National Property Management Team for SVN® beginning in January.

Product council chairs are nominated by SVN Advisors, Managing Directors, the SVN Carothers Franchise Advisory Board and SVNIC staff. The Executive Committee of SVNIC is responsible for final selection of the Chair(s) and/or Co-Chair(s). The mission of the product council is to provide SVN advisors with a team of service and product type experts, in addition to superior product and marketing knowledge including resources to further enhance their ability to find, win and fulfill business.

The Property Management Council is one of 18 product councils that SVN facilitates. Product councils are part of SVN’s commitment to the “Shared Value Network,” which prides itself on being open, inclusive and innovative in the field of commercial real estate.

October 2019 DeSoto 4.3

Mississippi 5.2 U.S. 3.3

16 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q Nov. 16 - 29, 2019

Tunica 5.6

Tate 5.5

MISSISSIPPI’S OCT. UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURES

UNITED STATES Labor Force Data Civilian Labor Force Unemployed Unemployment Rate Employed

Oct ‘19 164,576,000 5,510,000 3.3 159,067,000

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

Sept ‘19 1,289,500 71,700 5.6 1,217,800

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

Oct 2019 4,681 31,150 $4,550,518 21,857 1,474 470 $208.19

Oct ‘18 1,270,400 54,600 4.3 1,215,800

Oct ‘18 162,723,000 5,771,000 3.5 156,952,000

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

‘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

Oct 2018 4,398 29,557 $4,624,484 22,402 1,424 471 $206.43

Alcorn 4.7

Tippah 4.8

Tishomingo 5.0

Union 4.3

Coahoma 6.8

Yalobusha 4.9

Calhoun 5.3

Leflore 7.0

Carroll 5.9

Montgomery 5.9

Humphreys 8.9 Sharkey 6.9

Moving Avg.** 163,271,000 6,062,000 3.7 157,209,000

Holmes 9.6

Yazoo 6.1

Issaquena 9.5

Lowndes 5.1

Oktibbeha 5.5

Choctaw 5.5

Winston 5.6

Attala 5.9

Monroe 5.6

Clay 7.7

Webster 6.6

Washington 7.3

Itawamba 4.6

Chickasaw 5.9

Grenada 4.9

Sunflower 8.3

Lee 4.5

Pontotoc 4.3

Bolivar 6.8

Moving Avg.** 1,278,000 66,000 5.2 1,212,000

Lafayette 4.0

Quitman 7.7 Tallahatchie 5.1

Oct ‘19 1,283,500 66,400 5.2 1,217,100

Benton 6.2

Prentiss 4.7

Panola 6.0

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

Marshall 5.7

Leake 5.4

Neshoba 5.9

Scott 4.3

Newton 5.4

Noxubee 7.6

Kemper 7.7

Madison 4.1 Warren 5.8 Rankin 3.8

Hinds 4.9

Claiborne 10.8 Jefferson 13.8 Adams 6.7

Wilkinson 9.7

Lincoln 5.7

Franklin 7.0

Pike 6.4

Amite 6.8

Covington Jones 4.6 5.2

Walthall 7.3

Marion 5.1

— Mississippi Department of Employment Security

9.0 - 13.8

5.8 - 8.9 9.0 - 13.8

Lamar 3.8

Pearl River 5.0

Hancock 5.2

Clarke 6.1

Wayne 5.8

Lawrence Jeff Davis 6.4 6.1

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 3.8 4.5 included.

3.8 - 4.5 Labor force amounts are produced in cooperation with the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

4.6 - 5.7 4.6 - 5.7 Note: Unless indicated state and county data presented are not seasonally adjusted.

5.8 - 8.9

Jasper 6.4

Smith 5.0

Simpson 4.7

Copiah 6.2

Lauderdale 5.4

Forrest 4.7

Perry 5.7

Stone 5.7

Harrison 5.0

Greene 7.0

George 6.6

Jackson 5.6

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

» FROM THE SENATOR’S DESK

Stand with Hong Kong protesters

F

or almost six months, the people of Hong Kong have taken to the streets to protest the abuses of the Chinese Communist Party. Recent clashes make clear that police are stepping up their cruelty, with beatings becoming the go-to tactic of repression and rubber bullets occasionally being replaced by live ammunition. Despite this brutality, the brave protesters are continuing to demand their rights.

The dictatorship in Beijing needs to deescalate and respect Hong Kong’s self-governance. The world is watching Hong Kong today, just as it did Berlin, Budapest, and Prague during the Cold War. As then, this is about more than one faraway city.

The United States has a clear national interest in stopping a communist takeover of Hong Kong. If the city were a country, it would be our 19th largest trading partner, ahead of countries like Australia and Israel. Almost 300 U.S. companies have headquarters in Hong Kong, and 75,000 Americans live and work there.

It was not by accident that a fishing village in eastern China became one of the world’s largest business centers.

The former colony thrived under British leadership, inheriting a position as a commercial and trading capital with many of the same legal traditions we enjoy in the

United States.

When the United Kingdom honored its treaty obligations by giving up control of Hong Kong to mainland China in 1997, it did so only after Beijing agreed in writing to grant the territory “a high degree of autonomy” – known as “one country, two systems.” While communist ideology reins in the rest of the country, the Basic Law guarantees Hong Kong citizens a free-market economy and rule of law.

From the beginning, the Beijing regime has tried to chip away at this arrangement, barring candidates from running in local elections, intimidating journalists, and increasing state-owned enterprises. The protests, which began in June, were sparked by a proposed law that would have given the Chinese government the authority to prosecute Hong Kongers in show trials on the mainland, destroying the island’s judicial independence.

The Chinese Communist Party’s actions in Hong Kong are part of a pattern of increased authoritarianism and aggression elsewhere. In Tibet, for example, many dissidents fled decades ago, and those who remain live under state-sanctioned violence and with limited access to the outside world. On the western side of the country, more than a million religious minorities are being held in prison

camps. China is violating international waters and taking over the South China Sea through force.

Roger Wicker Congress is standing with the protesters against Beijing. This week, the House and Senate overwhelmingly passed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019, which I cosponsored. This bill will sanction human rights abusers in Hong Kong and direct the State Department to monitor more closely whether or not China is respecting the “one country, two systems” policy or instead tightening its stranglehold. I am also working on legislation to cut off the Hong Kong Police Force’s access to American-made crowd control supplies. In addition, I am joining many of my colleagues in calling on U.S. companies, including the National Basketball Association, not to cave to Chinese censorship.

What is happening in Hong Kong today represents a pivotal moment in history. I am glad an overwhelmingly bipartisan majority of Congress has sent a strong message that we stand for freedom and self-determination.

» Roger Wicker is a U.S. Senator from Mississippi. Readers can contact him at 330 W. Jefferson St., Tupelo, MS 38803 or call (662) 844-5010.

October 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).

Oct Oct Year to date YTD CITY 2019 2018 2019 2018 Abbeville 4575.08 8935.96 17543.78 19871.86 Aberdeen 68,275.14 70597.05 285172.95 284178.25 Ackerman 24,372.90 24011.24 99420.49 98245.12 Alcorn State University 0 0 0 0 Algoma 4,840.04 2378.07 18524.16 10633.67 Alligator 143.17 345.72 741.9 1363.4 Amory 160,955.99 151227.12 652536.17 642756.75 Anguilla 1,900.97 2013.93 7032.48 7023.05 Arcola 1,249.11 1053.48 4385.21 3304.98 Artesia 2,615.82 725.66 15947.69 2863.74 Ashland 11,279.80 12546.95 47333.06 49826.61 Baldwyn 43,993.78 40561.6 182004.45 174487.49 Bassfield 12,904.45 13571.28 50505.86 54583.08 Batesville 369,886.14 362756.07 1514951.52 1525374.26 Bay Springs 57,098.76 56761.56 234156.99 227064.38 Bay St. Louis 138,138.49 130130.39 593935.61 563713.98 Beaumont 8,896.95 10068.89 36532.97 38313.74 Beauregard 317.28 278.11 1299.24 939.91 Belmont 28,084.41 28525.63 112920.05 110592.55 Belzoni 33,981.39 36433.76 139141 140372.2 Benoit 2,175.02 2767.27 8110.98 10909.49 Bentonia 10,322.40 10802.2 43283.84 45942.24 Beulah 271.28 474.3 1043.71 1389.91 Big Creek 274.43 367.67 1070.15 1249.21 Biloxi 1,050,914.20 1034255.71 4375567.25 4527098.41 Blue Mountain 11,007.01 11251.67 41713.03 40674.41 Blue Springs 2,311.41 2105.83 8862.33 8618.62 Bolton 14,759.34 12672.81 58380.41 57907.47 Booneville 153,569.88 150418.22 624141.59 644501.32 Boyle 20,428.68 20205.77 88587.81 94155.21 Brandon 453,430.75 485310.45 2016116.6 2016417.88 Braxton 1,119.68 1375.16 5222.3 5952.95 Brookhaven 465,359.46 455024.15 1939236.91 1862707.95 Brooksville 9,211.87 9743.45 37590.46 37895.66 Bruce 40,899.74 38768.69 160779.05 156330.65 Bude 10,644.98 9725.27 44286.44 44361.51 Burnsville 15,368.83 15364.97 57899.94 59523.91 Byhalia 77,327.54 50624.94 317934.6 261530.25 Byram 247,774.57 227627.09 1008409.83 954554.46 Caledonia 14,765.77 16655.34 58405.66 60908.81 Calhoun City 23,822.73 22226.88 93626.5 92491.49 Canton 256,731.06 241605.92 988309.91 1014320.7 Carrollton 6,562.89 7245.41 24681.44 27290.01 Carthage 140,158.78 142359.82 579331.35 588569.72 Cary 880.12 1428.28 3807.17 5626.18 Centreville 16,640.72 19143.75 68733.24 75574.86 Charleston 27,421.15 29463.06 114564.82 116877.08 Chunky 430.12 925.66 2198.12 2932.75 Clarksdale 220,716.14 211330.89 876502.07 848240.27 Cleveland 323,598.06 313614.44 1294670.52 1217838.68 Clinton 389,625.57 379874.34 1595739.54 1523188.62 Coahoma 377.24 495.24 1743.45 1845.25 Coahoma Community College 293.70 345.26 796.67 894.28 Coffeeville 10,578.71 10645.56 40142.51 42851.35 Coldwater 22,094.52 21495.13 84049.39 87473.56 Collins 143,337.30 136573.69 607721.15 572621.8 Columbia 262,580.38 257621.98 1088649.16 1068182.93 Columbus 804,397.56 766272.03 3213334.22 3155190.68 Como 17,894.53 16224.47 59216.52 68127.52 Corinth 516,337.74 497870.47 2089531.7 2055012.28 Courtland 1,106.95 1337.1 4304.85 5471.66 Crawford 1,382.08 1621.44 5814.1 6125.07 Crenshaw 4,838.53 5842.54 21150.77 22111.2 Crosby 496.92 782.52 2534.66 4163.36 Crowder 1,960.00 2223.84 7596.64 7980.3 Cruger 313.05 451.56 1308.05 1463.52 Crystal Springs 64,238.77 66338.72 266561.4 262454.03 D’Iberville 660,355.22 616596.44 2709172.6 2568190.85 D’Lo 1,195.89 1454.16 5776.47 42229.7 Decatur 14,616.61 15214.96 52546.31 51936.75 Dekalb 16,700.26 18450.89 68373.91 75274.9 Derma 10,224.07 10972.73 40893.7 37344.72 Diamondhead 55,775.19 53474.26 229992.17 240277.33 Doddsville 794.52 673.91 2420.91 2614.29 Drew 5,843.00 7400.03 24711.5 27119.96 Duck Hill 3,812.15 4560.48 13854 17349.63 Dumas 2,276.20 987.82 8642.24 3952.58 Duncan 0.00 662.88 0.00 3726.6 Durant 32,206.46 33601.49 142134.17 164337.66 East Mississippi CC 198.38 197.09 1265.12 1328.8 Ecru 11,712.91 10638.44 47186.53 41174.23 Eden 242.98 104.61 1000.07 338.48 Edwards 6,693.20 6246.62 26014.69 25445.96 Ellisville 85,619.24 79074.17 348656 316184.16 Enterprise 5,923.47 5775.54 22059.71 22465.85 Ethel 2,361.83 2862.81 8959.24 9556.38 Eupora 40,045.51 31351.88 143567.97 137787.66 Falcon 43.94 140.08 248.5 840.8 Falkner 5,890.30 6012.37 22244.44 21602.25 Farmington 6,011.83 6095.49 23036.97 23000.76 Fayette 16,128.03 15842.19 66971.26 62974.32 Flora 30,148.04 28422.87 116046.9 129986.13 Florence 64,561.97 71421.57 263995.14 296740.95 Flowood 977,446.36 956443.88 3939609.04 3967441.95 Forest 186,926.42 183182.56 772631.21 766572.34 French Camp 1,636.33 1593.26 6666.96 5260.19 Friars Point 2,516.56 3120.87 8967.31 15672.07

Fulton 128,481.92 Gattman 90.89 Gautier 186,776.98 Georgetown 3,873.87 Glen 4,208.22 Glendora 307.84 Gloster 13,795.13 Golden 3,990.88 Goodman 4,774.68 Greenville 472,456.27 Greenwood 385,272.79 Grenada 368,542.79 Gulfport 1,828,804.34 Gunnison 797.14 Guntown 16,435.01 Hatley 1,864.39 Hattiesburg 1,853,712.03 Hazlehurst 109,050.48 Heidelberg 15,510.49 Hernando 322,705.96 Hickory 7,410.46 Hickory Flat 6,944.59 Hinds Community College 739.49 Hollandale 13,387.07 Holly Springs 107,485.84 Horn Lake 448,150.21 Houlka 9,137.82 Houston 94,522.54 Indianola 154,583.57 Inverness 5,062.26 Isola 2,114.62 Itta Bena 12,301.23 Iuka 74,423.21 Jackson 2,281,294.15 Jonestown 2,958.78 Jumpertown 2,161.06 Kilmichael 6,500.14 Kosciusko 172,785.96 Kossuth 4,001.15 Lake 25,329.27 Lambert 2,221.76 Laurel 741,216.58 Leakesville 25,658.07 Learned 1,022.76 Leland 45,508.81 Lena 1,743.36 Lexington 31,087.01 Liberty 21,617.64 Long Beach 125,688.78 Louin 3,199.27 Louise 1,529.09 Louisville 144,449.26 Lucedale 187,378.84 Lula 789.79 Lumberton 14,450.33 Lyon 1,521.63 Maben 7,135.02 Macon 48,975.75 Madison 719,932.78 Magee 182,839.92 Magnolia 44,899.58 Mantachie 17,809.39 Mantee 1,854.59 Marietta 4,702.57 Marion 18,561.46 Marks 15,635.97 Mathiston 16,770.85 Mayersville 771.46 McComb 451,599.56 McCool 248.14 McLain 4,286.49 Meadville 12,441.29 Mendenhall 60,477.58 Meridian 1,135,397.69 Merigold 7,998.81 Metcalfe 886.80 Mississippi Gulf Coast CC 564.71 Mississippi State University 38,743.70 Mississippi Valley State Univ. 1,112.96 Mize 8,371.42 Monticello 41,179.33 Montrose 363.17 Moorhead 8,099.99 Morgan City 485.05 Morton 41,275.50 Moss Point 171,050.15 Mound Bayou 4,260.77 Mt. Olive 8,698.38 Myrtle 4,620.51 Natchez 406,933.06 Nettleton 35,308.44 New Albany 289,135.80 New Augusta 11,330.22 New Hebron 6,173.99 Newton 82,972.26 North Carrollton 2,502.58 Noxapater 8,498.46 Oakland 7,068.19 Ocean Springs 422,223.48 Okolona 23,890.39 Olive Branch 941,931.94 Osyka 5,403.76 Oxford 783,644.49 Pace 389.57 Pachuta 4,152.02 Paden 164.22

119911.92 140.16 180228.25 3552.27 11780.17 397.32 11942.83 3712.37 3731.44 490534.85 378083.29 356861.95 1765446.2 854.6 16552.41 1735.57 1848067.53 108795.96 16130.98 299130.57 7648.32 6818.56 472.2 15797.88 112211.22 432026.87 8822.08 89511.33 145387.95 3906.11 2177.66 12669.02 70299.62 2386027.24 3101.9 1899.68 6077.68 173915.51 5054.6 22333.69 1690.44 735983.12 26068.37 823.87 45240.58 2252.79 31892.43 21384.53 115751.54 2561.21 1256.63 142843.38 177779.56 1100.02 16267.79 2072.44 7662.45 45746.95 710950.17 172213.98 44975.81 19584.04 2298.85 4988.69 19540.72 16037.87 14323.89 754.92 397638.96 762.79 3980.76 11527.45 56342.23 1093638.64 6299.4 845.86 1306.83 39022.99 2222.87 12212.07 43029.37 152.5 7792.76 566.9 39507.3 163715.31 3945.38 9156.27 4565.03 409972.17 29757.48 281533.22 11264.57 6194.78 78583.76 2809.14 8288.56 7454.78 411309.95 25091.68 798524.69 5375.69 881541.33 483.24 3637.84 76.8

519076.35 383.94 774849.8 15279.01 16167.63 1137.17 54214.29 15814.63 16914.71 1919948.06 1502697.08 1546946.25 7686068.5 2652.24 64565.67 6720.95 7457633.33 463461.06 60501.22 1289646.81 43297.76 25992.42 3426.64 57725.22 447708.68 1917246.26 33079.58 368562.07 621977.43 20777.75 7979.6 48197.62 300074.96 9204049.74 12192.45 7508.11 23347.67 708695.81 15589.4 98642.68 8875.6 3079963.41 106177.63 4136.11 187995.29 7371.62 127680.3 83568.12 508744.67 12271.57 7629.4 594697.21 770711.46 3345.23 54349.59 7307.09 28935.55 198372.2 2999988.97 764584.45 172060.24 67635.12 7934.66 18042.78 78304.9 59571.04 68440.98 2723.81 1840371.62 1043.81 17617.84 44541.5 244955.2 4659242.56 29381.77 3484 1726.48 129948.69 1954.01 34972.85 157969.27 3390.5 29449.31 1844.02 168541.36 700734.37 15884.6 35190.78 17174.25 1706186.99 136782.13 1161637.93 47123.3 25194.76 333254.58 10558.31 31308.53 27601.6 1757793.59 96818.08 3841144.26 21201.92 3148953.32 1710.89 15168.55 606.12

509173 533.86 756069.81 15027.19 23279.03 1643.02 46778.92 15607.55 13941.76 1992711.53 1497751.02 1511145.22 7520583.85 2910.71 68035.95 7086.37 7519632.38 451640 70475.89 1230446.58 30615.58 27453.85 3022.04 60687.57 458898.05 1749576.05 33725.16 355284.19 601484.56 19692.12 7795.11 46428 315255.72 9623328.57 11768.54 6948.3 23893.85 709467.67 19191.78 87979.98 7922.58 2970213.76 106689.35 3633.45 202548.65 9200.03 128945.06 86194.11 484957.57 9210.98 4690.77 599624.57 745362.64 4053.3 56245.36 7372.14 30467.67 189890.67 2849293.65 727473.07 173701.01 75275.42 8803.54 18387.73 76148.68 62592.82 63929.65 3012.44 1840259.67 2239.51 15867.77 44186.59 230930.83 4618661.04 27665.87 3866.57 2751.16 136496.99 3047.47 45105.03 162371.76 793.87 29984.4 2104.45 159797.48 711337.88 15340.15 34785.69 17576.93 1701684.63 124933.57 1154125.53 47999.35 24385.56 323764.33 14202.26 33309.81 28119.23 1715046.25 95538.21 3537161.07 20603.33 3165498.02 1781.82 13637.58 256.55

Nov. 16 - 29, 2019

Q

Mississippi Business Journal

Pascagoula 449,670.06 414959.89 Pass Christian 128,861.31 121131.33 Paulding 52.35 125.88 Pearl 892,038.95 789105.41 Pelahatchie 29,704.69 30411.96 Petal 225,593.04 225048.02 Philadelphia 348,472.62 336812.11 Picayune 383,523.12 370445.84 Pickens 6,346.15 7547.77 Pittsboro 2,256.08 1870.06 Plantersville 5,153.78 7607.82 Polkville 1,579.36 1432.13 Pontotoc 215,042.36 200142.82 Pope 4,861.49 5237.57 Poplarville 85,575.83 85161.98 Port Gibson 28,774.26 28674.3 Potts Camp 6,864.99 6978.71 Prentiss 31,315.01 34500.87 Puckett 9,166.23 8410.43 Purvis 80,299.45 67181.06 Quitman 48,246.81 46481.04 Raleigh 17,387.62 17772.39 Raymond 21,088.03 23464.9 Renova 4,768.74 3941.16 Richland 519,859.07 473748.16 Richton 30,597.44 29226.18 Ridgeland 1,037,516.28 1099241.64 Rienzi 3,943.89 4976.33 Ripley 118,791.91 112732.65 Rolling Fork 38,489.75 35154.24 Rosedale 9,917.15 10186.52 Roxie 3,377.96 3700.24 Ruleville 21,488.73 20264.94 Sallis 566.48 2005.64 Saltillo 84,819.62 74331.45 Sandersville 10,965.80 13971.45 Sardis 25,153.78 25573.57 Satartia 102.36 284.67 Schlater 1,428.02 1101.08 Scooba 8,100.70 8384.37 Sebastopol 15,765.94 16778.38 Seminary 13,898.47 15116.65 Senatobia 186,918.85 197160.54 Shannon 11,599.57 11646.75 Shaw 5,993.21 6340.2 Shelby 10,909.19 9603.78 Sherman 43,863.96 48230.68 Shubuta 3,550.19 3726.88 Shuqualak 2,926.52 1638.21 Sidon 525.15 489.92 Silver City 312.39 455.94 Silver Creek 2,072.85 2335.25 Slate Springs 217.75 182.07 Sledge 1,493.68 1671.04 Smithville 7,414.91 6290.34 Snow Lake Shores 138.21 157.42 Soso 10,206.23 11929.33 Southaven 1,221,332.13 1284306.71 Southwest Mississippi CC 132.94 100.16 Starkville 657,919.09 769011.03 State Line 9,019.65 9808.43 Stonewall 5,563.62 5995.31 Sturgis 2,756.75 2826.09 Summit 34,882.10 33042.55 Sumner 2,960.74 4415.49 Sumrall 50,345.15 49594.88 Sunflower 2,782.70 3039.25 Sylvarena 155.18 115.5 Taylor 2,156.54 2281.33 Taylorsville 22,599.16 24317.82 Tchula 6,653.59 6310.16 Terry 24,212.98 26825.14 Thaxton 3,931.12 3937.24 Tishomingo 13,394.42 14551.85 Toccopola 718.72 780.01 Tremont 2,327.47 2427.96 Tunica 28,610.83 33388.03 Tupelo 1,709,533.83 1670332.92 Tutwiler 5,332.34 4863.87 Tylertown 52,724.34 53769.49 Union 24,505.25 23915.04 University of Mississippi 160,631.88 14737.96 Utica 7,552.01 7868.05 Vaiden 9,299.99 7841.71 Vardaman 11,547.80 12113.51 Verona 20,843.68 18978 Vicksburg 628,964.60 595747.61 Walls 8,605.02 7301.4 Walnut 21,317.71 21926.7 Walnut Grove 5,043.92 5290.43 Walthall 2,647.52 1255.49 Water Valley 40,727.80 43242.77 Waveland 215,601.31 204180.96 Waynesboro 169,115.03 186650.82 Webb 7,849.86 7596.29 Weir 3,413.23 3765.18 Wesson 15,335.64 14651.81 West 851.85 1053.77 West Point 191,669.32 170728.05 Wiggins 157,774.06 152905.91 Winona 72,887.44 73951.38 Winstonville 257.21 163.54 Woodland 7,168.94 6321.04 Woodville 27,531.90 31312.35 Yazoo City 170,896.08 171995.01 Total 36799424.19 36078945.89

Q

17

1820898.01 1774488.2 520450.23 513658.42 225.69 463.01 3715235.55 3422634.78 125419.93 134997.61 909213.44 902833.92 1424107.44 1396138.53 1603209.33 1585178.19 22290.96 27066.08 7131.11 6924.13 28681.04 31086.84 5687.99 5480.88 843434.7 822493.13 18481.23 20483.56 340380.13 327353.45 123690.88 112181.28 26963.69 28441.64 126677.15 132890.72 37191.53 34634.79 306955.76 273282.13 191557.67 186038.45 69781.14 69775.08 82418.69 81954.53 15648.32 15346.85 2253137.48 2018386.12 117111.5 114081.75 4489924.2 4373031.46 14413.31 16967.44 477289.27 489867.02 134680.92 132236.51 37432.29 40349.49 12462.41 12340.05 84796.54 82245.55 2250.94 5891.28 358001.98 297371.45 61295.24 54860.7 108587.98 111481.57 390.96 1107.47 4793.78 4582.88 30644.59 31298.93 64211.86 65977.5 53998.98 57177.62 765915.8 769102.08 45008.49 44857.03 9,210.16 25738.54 41491.59 40440.06 190091.79 160608.45 14262.62 14131.18 9524.35 7140.23 1633.86 3237.64 1133.48 1441.07 8504.06 10061.6 624.48 950 5203.07 5823.84 23750.05 23859.72 481.74 532.78 40713.09 43961.45 4947102.54 5009105.43 449.82 454.24 2471730.51 2494085.66 38019.89 40692.92 22076.76 22937.73 11280.6 14665.28 147578.58 151582.44 11800.5 14961.22 201643.5 203808.98 10002.05 11401.73 674.63 759.99 8074.48 9250.26 91083.15 96896.62 20655.44 26299.45 93707.56 102322.34 16430.15 16591.99 55617.04 54941.92 2602.79 2876.88 8725.23 7688.64 98891.09 139338.14 7078778.45 6984080.33 21685.46 18950.99 215125.49 220051.9 97491.84 94923.84 227924.71 37508.14 31272.73 31978.19 42665.66 32190.5 44841.74 46407.66 86156.95 79916.27 2574188.11 2598519.76 41550.2 35256.02 86621.04 87140.71 19064.51 20839.87 12879.33 5649.78 168592.99 177867.6 871234.74 868735.49 709519.22 729414.29 31105.36 29555.01 15708.86 14099.03 57360.34 54434.81 3461.44 3865.42 760422.03 673047.79 657486.63 635576.02 299621.38 308030.82 1044.19 866.38 27263.34 26139.66 110179.01 118857.2 689178.38 672831.32 150148901.54 148056179.27

18 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q Nov. 16 - 29, 2019 THE SPIN CYCLE

Not Milk? Largest brand buys the farm

N

ot Milk! With a nod to one of the greatest branding campaigns in the world – who can forget Got Milk? – our society has increasingly tossed the jug and opted for tea and soft drinks instead.

This alarming trend recently led to the nation’s biggest milk producer filing for bankruptcy. Dean Foods blamed a decadelong drop in milk consumption that has seen people turn to alternatives like soda, juice and almond milk.

The Dallas company said it may sell itself to the Dairy Farmers of America, a marketing cooperative owned by thousands of farmers.

“Despite our best efforts to make our business more agile and cost-efficient, we continue to be impacted by a challenging operating environment marked by continuing declines in consumer milk consumption,” CEO Eric Berigause said in a statement.

Since 1975, the amount of liquid milk consumed per capita in the U.S. has tumbled more than 40 percent. Americans drank around 24 gallons a year in 1996, according to government data. That dropped to 17 gallons in 2018.

An increasing variety of beverages, including teas and soft drinks, has hurt milk consumption. So have protein bars, yogurts and other on-the-go breakfasts, which take the place of a morning bowl of cereal.

More recently, health and animal-welfare concerns have also contributed, as more shoppers seek out non-dairy alternatives.

Oat milk, for example, saw U.S. sales rise 636 percent to more than $52 million over the past year, according to Nielsen data.

Sales of cow’s milk dropped 2.4 percent in that same time frame.

Not all dairy products have been affected. U.S. butter and cheese consumption is up since 1996, for example.

The downturn has had an outsize effect

on Dean Foods, which derived 67 percent of its sales from fluid milk last year, according to its annual report. The company has lost money in eight of its last 10 quarters and posted declining sales in seven of the last eight. Dean employs 16,000 people and operates 60 processing facilities across the country. On any given day, it is running 8,000 refrigerated delivery trucks on U.S. roads.

It supplies milk for its own brands, like Dairy Pure, Meadow Gold and TruMoo, as well as store brands. One big blow came last year, when Walmart opened its own milk processing plant in Indiana.

Dean said it will continue operating normally while it puts its finances in order under Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It has lined up about $850 million in financing from lenders.

Journalists biggest pitching pet peeves Quite often I refer to what I do as pitchin’ and grinnin’. The job of a PR counsel is to place newsworthy – and otherwise – stories in the daily 24/7 news cycle.

Thinking like a journalist, discussing strategy with business executives and honing the pitch to carry news value is an art form, and an exercise in lifelong learning as trends fade in an out, audiences change and the media evolves.

In no way is it an easy task – that’s why they call placed media through PR earned media, and placed media through advertising unearned media (or non-paid and paid).

It’s not uncommon for journalists get up to 500 pitches per week, so as PR practitioners, it is our job to make it relevant, impactful and newsworthy.

Recently, a team at Fractl surveyed more than 500 journalists, staff writers, contributors, and editors and asked them to rank their pitching pet peeves.

http://www.msbusiness.com

BANKS

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

HUMAN RESOURCES

Q People Lease.........................................................................................................www.peoplelease.com

INSURANCE AGENCIES

Q Account Services Group........................................................... www.accountservicesgroup.com

LAW FIRMS

Q Victor W. Carmody, Jr. P.A........................................................................... www.mississippidui.com

PAYROLL

Q People Lease.........................................................................................................www.peoplelease.com

Here are six simple mistakes to avoid when you reach out to media or bloggers, according to Fracti and the SPIN Sucks publication: 1. Pitching content not relevant to a writer’s beat This is journalists’ No. 1 pitching pet peeve.

Or actually the industry’s most offensive pitching practice.

It may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many journalists say they receive beauty and health pitches for their political column.

Pro tip: use tools like Muck Rack, Twitter, and the writer’s archives to research their beat and interests before pitching.

You catch more flies with honey (and five minutes of extra research).

It may feel strange to dig deep into a writer’s archives and find the perfect article from 2013 to reference in your pitch, but they’ll appreciate you took the time to check.

2. Your pitch misses the publication’s vertical Journalists complain all the time about “blind pitching.”

Beyond doing in-depth research about a writer’s beat, we must ensure we’re contacting the appropriate editors, reporters, assignments desks, producers, publications and broadcast outlets.

Check into the site’s history to ensure your target hosts external content.

Are you pushing lifestyle content on a tech publication? Are you pitching overly promotional content to a publication that reports strictly on studies?

These are a few of the small, simple, (and obvious) things to avoid that will set you apart from the other 499 emails in a journalist’s inbox.

3. You’re sending too many follow-ups Knock, knock, are you still there?

No one wants to be ghosted, but it’s a harsh reality in the pitching world.

As much as PR pros don’t appreciate the silence, media folks take offense to excessive follow-ups. According to Fracti research, most writers say one to two follow-ups are appropriate.

Anymore and you risk of annoying a contact, jeopardizing a relationship Sure, some pitches get lost in the shuffle, and journalists often appreciate the reminder. But don’t push it.

Sometimes we just need to take the hint: silence is a loud “no.”

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT

Q Mansell Media.................................................................................................... www.mansellmedia.net

Have your business listed here! Contact your advertising representative at 601.364.1000

4. You’re too “self-promotional” Let’s get real.

Our ultimate function as purveyors of news should be to provide helpful and rel-

evant resources. Make the media’s life easier.

While content is, at its core, a marketing tool, it should be understood that writers aren’t interested in promoting your brand.

Todd Smith Instead, they’re looking for material that will inspire a story that will resonate with readers.

Excessive internal links, product placement, or logos will take away from your content, and ultimately, deter journalists from publishing it.

Do the legwork ahead of time and make sure your content serves both the audience and your brand.

5. You still like to “pick up the phone” From robocalls to incessant sales messages, people aren’t keen on answering their phone anymore.

Cold calling ranked as the fifth-highest pitching pet peeve.

Avoiding it is simple.

Don’t press “dial”.

Step away from the phone …

We live in the digital world, and as it turns out, most writers prefer to keep it that way.

If your email is constructed the way it should be – Including all relevant information and materials – there rarely should be a need for a phone call.

6. Your mass email blasts spam like a pro It may seem like sending bulk email blasts to hundreds of journalists is a surefire way to gain coverage.

Wrong!

That tactic can make more enemies than friends.

It’s better to send out 15 highly personalized and researched emails than to send an email blast to 100 writers and run the risk of getting blacklisted.

Pro tip: if you have a piece of material that’s better suited for a news release style format, change up your approach! News releases – with actual news – and deliver visibility for your content and credibility to your brand!

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

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

Nov. 16-29, 2019 • MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS JOURNAL • www.msbusiness.com

AN MBJ FOCUS: Banking & Finance

Making the switch » If current problems are solved, cryptocurrency could be to financial transactions what word processors were to typewriters

By BECKY GILLETTE mbj@msbusiness.com Wendell Fugitt is a bit of a “crypto nerd.” He drives about two hours a day from his home in Covington County to where he operates his business, Sta-Security, in the Jackson area. He uses that time to listen to news about cryptocurrency, a decentralized digital or virtual currency that uses cryptography as a security feature.

He is a small business owner with no 401(k) or official retirement plan. Now when he has a little extra to put away for retirement, he invests in Bitcoin or Litecoin cryptocurrency whereas in the past he would have invested in physical gold or silver.

“Bitcoin was created by a group of individuals after the 2008 crisis when we taxpayers spent billions of dollars bailing out the banks,” Fugitt said. “When the code was written, the banking crisis was given as a reason for releasing Bitcoin to the world.”

Bitcoin is described as an innovation payment network and a new kind of money. Fugitt said Bitcoin is considered the “gold” of the cryptocurrency world, and Litecoin the “silver.” There are literally thousands of others, and many of those would make a dodgy investment. Fugitt said someone with a lot of money can easily manipulate some of these small cryptocurrencies.

Cryptocurrency can be puzzling to people used to FDIC-insured bank deposits.

“It is a totally different world,” Fugitt said. “Without doing a lot of research, it is hard to understand.

Right now, it is mainly crypto nerds who talk about

it a lot, but it is becoming easier for the beginning investor.”

He has faith the cryptocurrency is the wave of the future.

“Digital currency is a big thing,” Fugitt said. “Banks are getting into it. Some companies and some countries like China, Tunisia and the Marshall Islands are starting to issue cryptocurrency. It is what is coming.

Currently there is a way you can spend Bitcoin on Amazon via debit cards and phone apps, and I hear that within a year you will be able to use Bitcoin and Litecoin on Facebook and Amazon.”

Fugitt first heard about Bitcoin when it was around $400-$600 in 2016. He started watching a few people on Youtube, and even started using Twitter at age 50 to keep up with the crypto news.

“I decided to sell my 1972 Camaro that I had bought about 15 years earlier as a ‘financial investment,’ and bought some Bitcoin in May of 2017,” he said. “Since then, I have still been actively involved

in learning, researching and understanding Bitcoin/ crypto’s/blockchain and have been ‘investing’ in Bitcoin and Litecoin whenever I have some extra money to put toward retirement.”

Fugitt went to Bitcoin Ben’s World’s Largest Crypto Meetup charity event in Texas a year ago, and in October went to the 2nd Annual Litecoin Summit in Las Vegas. There he met up with the people he has come to know on YouTube and Twitter who have become like family.

“We refer to ourselves as part of the ‘#litecoinfam’,” Fugitt said. “There are a lot of great people doing wonderful things for charities with cryptos.”

Fugitt agrees with everyone he follows and watches that new people first entering “the wild, wild West of cryptos” not invest more than they can afford to lose.

“This is still a speculative market,” Fugitt said.

“Cryptos are much easier for the younger, smartphone generation to understand, use and feel comfortable with. Most of the video games they play use virtual currency, so making the move to a digital currency like Bitcoin\Litecoin is easier for them.”

After returning from the Bitcoin Meetup, Fugitt ended up putting “Bitcoin and Litecoin Accepted Here” on his business cards and his tailgate wrap. No one has yet offered to pay that way, but he’s ready when they do.

Some people like digital currency because it can’t be confiscated by governments or banks like cash. But Fugitt said it is a lot of responsibility to be your own bank. “There is no Mr. Bitcoin to call if you forget your password,” he said.

Some cryptocurrency fans are recommending it as a hedge against the collapse of the U.S. economic because of the spiraling national debt. Dr. Ken Cyree, dean of the School of Business and Frank R. Day/Mississippi Bankers Association Chairman of See CRYPTOCURRENCY, Page 22

Banking & Finance

20 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q Nov. 16 - 29, 2019

Exterior (left) and interior at Dirstrict at Eastover location in Jackson.

Courtesy of xxxx

BankPlus adjusting with the times

By NASH NUNNERY mbj@msbusiness.com In the so-called ‘new age’ of banking, the shift in attention to tech-focused content is a clear indication that bankers are taking technology more seriously than they ever have.

Count long-time BankPlus Chief Executive Officer William A. “Bill” Ray in that number.

“To keep up with technology in banking today, you have to expose yourself to what’s out there and study it because there is so much to choose from,” said Ray, who has served as the bank’s top officer since 1986. “Then, you have to invest in what you believe are the best technologies for your customers, employees and your systems.

“We have made that a major initiative at BankPlus”.

According to Ray, BankPlus offers the number one rated mobile banking app available in the app stores. Additionally, the bank has invested in interactive teller machines (ITMs), which feature a live teller.

According to the U.S. Federal Reserve, digital banking users have increased from 26 percent to 51 percent between 2012 and 2017. This trend indicates that many consumers are interacting with financial institutions through digital means, including desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones.

“We were one of the first banks in Mississippi to offer mobile deposit and we’ll be offering Zelle person-to-person payments soon,” he said. “Our mobile alerts app can be customized to send information to when your debit card is used in certain ways and allows you to turn your card on and off in an instant.”

Make no mistake, BankPlus’ roots remain firmly entrenched in customer service and community involvement. Case in point – the bank still offers 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. service hours in many locations.

“Supporting our communities is one of the most important things we do as an organization,” said Ray, an Oxford native. “We define our core purpose with this statement: ‘We enrich lives and build stronger communities’. BankPlus achieves this through our banking business, but we also strengthen communities through our charitable giving and volunteer efforts.

“It does help our brand and name recognition efforts but more importantly, we believe it is the right thing to do.”

The origins of BankPlus began in 1909 as Citizens Bank & Trust in the Mississippi Delta town of Belzoni. The name was changed in 1994 to reflect the bank’s commitment to customers, employees and communities, Ray said.

Courtesy of xxxx

Currently, BankPlus boasts approximately $3 billion in total assets, 55 locations and 734 employees.

The BankPlus work culture also is a source of pride within the organization and reflected by the bank being voted one of the best banks to work for in the country for the past seven years by industry publication American Banker. The award is based on surveys that go to employees at every level of the bank.

“As with our customer experience, we try to differentiate ourselves to our employees as well,” said Rob Armour, the bank’s chief marketing and product development officer.

“We offer a comprehensive wellness program, ongoing education opportunities, a great 401(k) plan, a robust incentive program, anniversary days off for vacation and many other perks and programs to all employees.”

Asked about possible expansion into other markets, Ray said the bank is open to the idea.

“We are always looking for growth opportunities, whether they be organic or through acquisitions,” he said. “BankPlus is interested in expansion in Mississippi and surrounding states. And, we are always trying to grow our wealth management and mortgage divisions, as well.”

Last month, BankPlus parent company BancPlus Corp acquired State Bank & Trust, pending approval in the first quarter of 2020. Ray cited the acquisition as a good example of creating growth in multiple ways.

“BankPlus will be able to bring our unique brand of banking to new markets in Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana. Secondly, State Bank & Trust will be able to offer their customers a full suite of wealth management and mortgage services they have not had before,” he said. “We’re really excited because both banks have a 100-plus year history of commitment to the communities where we operate, and share a similar internal culture of teamwork and customer service.”

The bank’s famous slogan, ‘It’s more than a name. It’s a promise’, still resonates today, Ray said.

“It’s our promise to add value, convenience and be viewed as much more than a typical bank by our customers,” he added.

WHEN HE INTERVIEWED A REGIONS SBA SPECIALIST, he pressed us for big ideas on small business lending.

You should too.

You won’t find us at a loss when it comes to suggesting ways to help your business grow.

So ask us the tough questions.

1 I understand Small Business Administration (SBA) loans require as little as 10% down.

Is that true?

2 What are the advantages of an SBA loan for a business like mine?

3 Can I get extended repayment terms with an SBA loan?

4 Is Regions a preferred SBA lender?

What makes it one?

Your Regions SBA Specialist can help you determine the best loan for your situation.

So interview a Regions SBA Specialist today to learn how we can move your business forward.

Meade Tyler | SBA Specialist | 228.701.9056 | meade.tyler@regions.com

Š 2019 Regions Bank. All loans and lines subject to credit approval. | Regions and the Regions logo are registered trademarks of Regions Bank. The LifeGreen color is a trademark of Regions Bank.

Banking & Finance

22 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q Nov. 16 - 29, 2019

Role of women in banking changing

By LYNN LOFTON mbj@msbusiness.com

Women have stepped from behind tellers’ cages as the role of women in banking is changing in what is considered a male dominated field. In banks across the state women bankers are leading and assuming more responsibilities. Two such examples are Mary Childs and Teresa Thornhill. Childs is CEO of the Peoples Bank of Ripley and last year served as the Mississippi Bankers Association’s first chairwoman. Thornhill is chief wealth management officer for Citizens National Bank of Meridian where she is responsible for the oversight of the Wealth Management Division with more than $1.3 billion in assets under administration and management.

“The mix of men and women in banking brings more diversity because women tend to have a different perspective; men and women look at things differently,” Childs said. “Women have a lot more opportunities now as far as management positions go.”

Thornhill sees more women leading subsidiaries and divisions of major U.S. banking corporations. “Mary McNiff was recently appointed chief executive officer of Citibank N.A., the banking unit of Citigroup which is approximately 75 percent of Citigroup’s total assets. Her predecessor, Barbara Desoer, held the position since 2014,” she said.

“Within the regional banking arena, Beth Mooney assumed responsibilities as chairman and CEO of KeyCorp in 2011, and in 2016 Nandita Bakhshi was named president and CEO of Bank of

the West, just to name a couple. However, a female CEO of one of the largest U.S. banking corporations still eludes the industry.”

Published statistical information on the topic of gender parity in Childs banking is varied with some support of equal employment in the work force, but there is agreement that females are the minority in executive management.

Childs, who’s been in banking 40 years with 29 of those years at Peoples Bank, has held numer- Thornhill ous leadership positions with the MBA and currently serves on the board of directors. “I haven’t really felt I faced challenges because I’m a woman, but the time factor is hardest for women who’re juggling career and family,” she said. “Family support is very important.”

Thornhill says she’s had the pleasure of working with many qualified women who have led departments with decision making responsibilities. “This has allowed me to learn from them throughout my career,” she said. “I have always been afforded unique, challenging positions within banking organizations that would not have been available to me in most corporate structures. I have experience working with proprietary mutual funds companies, registered investment advisors, trust divisions and brokerage

financial services companies.”

Although she has worked for a bank for more than 25 years, she does not consider herself a banker. “My career began in the investment industry, but in the 1990s banks were growing their non-interest income lines of business by expanding into investment and insurance services,” she said. “As a result, these institutions were recruiting persons with knowledge in these areas. I found it to be a good fit for my skills and experience.”

Before joining Citizens Bank, Thornhill worked for Trustmark National Bank and First American National Bank/Deposit Guaranty National Bank in several management positions.

With a banker father, Childs was around banking all her life and saw it as a good way to help people and the community. “Being able to help someone start a business, buy a car, get an education or buy a home is rewarding.

Banking has to be more than just a job,” she said.

Her advice to women who may be considering banking as a career is to learn all they can and be willing to start at the bottom. “You can’t learn too much and starting at the bottom is a good thing.”

Thornhill agrees with that advice.

“Complete as many years of advanced education as possible,” she said. “Work with the best and brightest people and challenge yourself. My most rewarding professional growth has been from exposure to persons who are the best in their respective fields.”

We’ll help handle the finances so you can focus on what matters.

As a leader, your time is best invested in big picture thinking. Count on Trustmark to help you do just that by getting to know your business inside and out. We provide online banking, lending, card services, and other tools that free you to leave your mark.

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MEMBER FDIC

CRYPTOCURRENCY

Continued from Page 19

Banking at the University of Mississippi, said having a small percentage of your investments in cryptocurrency is not necessarily a bad thing. It could hedge against a collapse in one or a few countries. But he warns that it could also create severe losses if the currency fails or, at a minimum, it could be difficult to convert to fiat currency that is generally accepted, like the dollar or Euro.

“For example, if you bought Bitcoin on December 15, 2018 for $3,183, you would be happy that it is worth $8,745 today,” Cyree said. “But if you bought it at $12,927 on June 26 of this year, you would have lost a lot of your investment. So, if you are going to ‘invest’ in cryptocurrency, make sure it is a small part of a diversified portfolio.”

Some pundits have said that cryptocurrency represents a threat to tradition banking and even a threat to the U.S. economic dominance in the world. But Cyree said cryptocurrency, at least at the moment, is not money since it is not generally acceptable as a means of payment, and it is too volatile to be a store of value.

“There are literally thousands of cryptocurrencies, so any particular entity starting one does not necessarily mean much,” Cyree said. “The U.S. dollar is still the world’s reserve currency since we have the largest and most secure economy in the world. Crypto could very well play a role in the future, but I do not believe it will displace the power of the American dollar.”

He has more concern with privacy issues for individuals using the Libra currency created by Facebook. The inventors and champions of Libra tend to focus on the good it could do in developing countries.

However, Cyree said since there is no underlying value, such as being pegged to a currency or commodities, the things that make it useful also make it very risky.

“It could fail just as easily as it could succeed, and most ‘experts’ believe it is more likely to fail,” Cyree said. “Caution is warranted while purchasing any cryptocurrency. The underlying exchange of the currency can be problematic and coins are subject to theft, inability to access your digital wallet that holds them, suspect exchanges that disappear, and an overall lack of regulation or oversight. The underlying blockchain technology could be useful for many applications, and there are many other things the technology can do that is not associated with cryptocurrency.

“I think the overall message for the vast majority of people is to be very cautious and only allocate what you can afford to lose to this emerging technology. The caveat is that if the difficult issues are ever solved, cryptocurrency could be for transactions and financial recordkeeping what word processors were to electronic typewriters.”

Banking & Finance

Nov. 16 - 29, 2019

Q

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Nov. 16-29, 2019 • MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS JOURNAL • www.msbusiness.com

AN MBJ FOCUS: Law & Accounting

CPAs on firmer ground this year helping clients understand income tax laws

By BECKY GILLETTE mbj@msbusiness.com The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) was the first major federal tax overhaul in over 30 years.

It affected taxpayers of all sizes—individuals, corporations, trusts, estates, and pass-through entities, said Blair J. Waggoner, CPA, tax senior manager, HORNE Wealth Strategies, Ridgeland.

While it was enacted in December of 2017, the 2018 filing season was the first for all the changes to take effect.

“Chaos and confusion ensued,” Waggoner said. “This was multiplied by new tax forms, slow guidance and clarification from the IRS on the new rules, and a government shutdown that further postponed final regulations Waggoner being issued so that taxpayers could actually know how to plan for these changes.”

The biggest issue for the 2019 filing season (2018 tax returns) was the delay of information— especially concerning the Section 199A 20 percent Qualified Business Income deduction (QBI) for small business owners related to pass-through entities. Proposed Regulations were issued August 2018—more than halfway through the year to which the regulations would apply.

Waggoner said final regulations for Section 199A were not issued until January of 2019. “To further complicate that, due to the delayed issuance of regulations, the IRS allowed for taxpayers to use either the proposed or final regulations— but not a combination of both,” she said. “Clear as mud??”

The 199A “specified service trade or business” restriction limited the amount of taxable income those in “professional service” businesses could earn and still be eligible for the deduction. It was clear that attorneys and doctors fell into this category, but “consulting” and “brokerage services” were also included.

Waggoner said the following issues had to be considered: What constitutes a consulting business? What if the taxpayer only has a small amount of the business dedicated to consulting?

Would all income be subject to the limitation then? Were real estate and insurance agents and brokers in that category? Does a taxpayer’s activity rise to the level of a “qualified trade or business” to even be able to take advantage of the

new business deduction?

“Taxpayers and CPAs were left with more questions than answers at times,” Waggoner said.

“Now with a full tax season under the new laws behind us, we are better equipped to begin filing season for 2019 returns. Final regulations issued at the beginning of 2019 allowing us to help clients with more accurate, proactive planning for 2019 instead of working with multiple scenarios depending on how final regulations played out.

We know how the new tax brackets and other changes to exemptions and deductions affected withholdings and estimated tax payments, and we have helped clients better plan for that.”

Waggoner said what has worked in the past may not apply any longer, which raises more questions: Does your business structure still make sense given the changes? Should your accounting method change from accrual to cash?

“The changes we saw this busy season create a huge disruption in the tax world that brings about a great opportunity to rethink how we serve clients and allows us to provide higher level planning to meet their changing needs,” she said.

While 2019 is shaping up to be much quieter related to tax law changes, Waggoner said there are always ways to plan ahead and take advantage of the changes we saw in 2018: *Defer or accelerate income/deductions. If you

run a cash basis business and profit is trending higher for 2019 than in 2018, you may consider deferring revenue during the last part of the year to reduce your 2019 taxable income. Another solution would be to pre-pay some 2020 expenses. On the flip side, if your business is expected to make more in 2020 than in 2019, you might consider accelerating income and holding off on paying those expenses until after the New Year. *Don’t forget the QBI threshold is based on taxable income, so consideration should be given to the applicable threshold when determining whether to accelerate or defer income and deductions. *Increase wages. A business’s W-2 wages impact the QBI deduction once the taxable income threshold is met, so increasing W-2 wages may allow for a more favorable deduction assuming the deduction outweighs the increased payroll tax liability. *Buy equipment. Take advantage of more favorable depreciation rules that went into effect with the TCJA by purchasing needed equipment and placing in service by Dec. 31, 2019. Section 179 expensing was increased to $1M (from $500k) with an increased phase-out of $2.5M. Bonus depreciation was increased to 100 percent (from See TAX, Page 25

Law & Accounting

Nov. 16 - 29, 2019

Q

Mississippi Business Journal

TAX Continued from Page 24

50 percent) for assets purchased before Jan. 1, 2023. *Consider a retirement savings plan.

Business owners have multiple options for employer-sponsored retirement. The amount an employer can contribute, investment options, and ease and timing of setup differs among the plans. You will want to consult with your tax advisor to determine the best option for your business.

Ted B. Edwards, CPA, member, Haddox Reid Eubank Betts PLLC, Jackson, agrees thing are clearer than they were this past April and 2019 returns should be easier to prepare than 2018 returns.

“However, with the overall complexity of the Internal Revenue Tax Code, there are still many areas that are not ‘black and white’,” Edwards said.

Edwards said effective year-end planning involves not just looking at the current year, but also the next year at a minimum. This will help determine whether to accelerate income into the current year or defer income into next year, when you have that flexibility.

“Likewise, it will help to determine whether to accelerate deductions or defer the deductions,” Edwards said. “With the increased standard deduction and so many more taxpayers utilizing the standard deduction (instead of itemizing deductions), acceleration or deferral of itemized deductions, such as charitable contributions, becomes more important. In other words, you may want to consider ‘bunching’ deductions for a particular year so as to have enough to itemize in that year, even though you may take the standard deduction in either the year before or the year after.”

He also recommends that if you have an investment portfolio, consider whether it would make sense to sell loss stocks to maybe offset gains that have already been realized. You can always wait 31 days and buy the loss stock back if it is an investment you want in your portfolio.

“If you will have enough deductions to itemize, you may want to consider making charitable donations of appreciated stock,” Edwards said. “You get to deduct the value of the stock without having to pay tax on the appreciation. Make sure that all required minimum distributions (RMD) from retirement plans are taken before the end of the year to avoid penalties for not doing so.”

The IRS says that most taxpayers got a $2,000 return for 2018 taxes and that they might choose to not withhold so much. Even though it certainly makes economic sense to reduce your withholding and get a smaller refund, many taxpayers like to get a “nice” refund when they file their tax return.

“So, my guess is more people have left their withholding as is,” Edwards said.

Even though it certainly makes economic sense to reduce your withholding and get a smaller refund, many taxpayers like to get a “nice” refund when they file their tax return.

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Leaders in Finance

Nov. 16 - 29, 2019

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Mississippi Business Journal

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2019 SPECIAL SECTION

Special event of the Mississippi Business Journal

Photos by Stegall Imagery

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Leaders in Finance

28 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q Nov. 16 - 29, 2019 GO ONLINE TO NOMINATE FOR FUTURE CLASSES www.msbusiness.com/events/lif

TABLE OF CONTENTS

JOSEPH A. AKANJI, LLP, CPAS Bruno & Tervalon LLP CPAs .......................................................30

RHOSHUNDA GEORGETTE KELLY Mississippi Dept. of Banking & Consumer Finance ...........33

LEE B. SEAGO State Bank and Trust .................................................................... 36

ANDY ANDERSON Bank of Anguilla .............................................................................30

CONNIE KIRK Guaranty Bank & Trust .................................................................33

CLIFFORD P. STEWART Watkins Ward & Stafford ........................................................... 36

JASON K. BRANNING Branning Wealth Advisors .........................................................30

KIMBERLA LITTLE Hope Enterprise Corporation .................................................... 34

SAM TAYLOR Wealthview Capital .......................................................................37

RALPH V. CLARK, II Trustmark..........................................................................................30

KEVIN LONG Rivertrust Federal Credit Union ................................................ 34

JEFF TURNIPSEED WealthPartners ...............................................................................37

W.D. “WOODY” COLEMAN Regions ...............................................................................................31

EMORY L. MAYFIELD, JR. Hancock Whitney .......................................................................... 34

Donnie White Merchants & Planters Bank ....................................................... 38

WILLIAM DICKERSON, III Renasant Bank..................................................................................31

RENEE MOORE TMH ................................................................................................... 34

ANDREW M. WILLIAMS BKD..................................................................................................... 38

RHONDA S. FERGUSON Financial Concepts .........................................................................32

BERTRAM S. “BUDDY” MORTIMER Bank of Kilmichael..........................................................................35

KARMA BRANTLEY WILLIAMS Origin Bank ...................................................................................... 39

KIMBERLY L. HARDY Matthews Cutrer ............................................................................32

MARTIN EUGENIO PALOMO, IV Pinnacle Trust...................................................................................35

ELIZABETH L. WYNN Kyle Wynn & Associates............................................................. 39

C.A. “BUBBA” HOLLOWAY Regions Bank ...................................................................................32

LYNN PHILLIPS-GAINES Phillips Financial ............................................................................ 36

MIKE ZITO Trustmark Financial Services ..................................................... 39

STEPHANIE R. HURD Magnolia State Bank .....................................................................32

BARRY PRATHER Community Bank ........................................................................... 36

Leaders in Finance

2018 Shannon L. Adams .....................................................................................................................Matthews, Cutrer & Lindsay Connie Amason..........................................................................................................................................................Peoples Bank Reid Davis ....................................................................................................................................................................Pinnacle Trust Greg Derrick ..................................................................................................................................................Carr Riggs & Ingram Robert (Paul) A. Fertitta ....................................................................................................................Navigator Credit Union Jenny Gates...............................................................................................................................................Clinton Public Schools David Gilliland .........................................................................................................................................................Renasant Bank Bradford Hatchett ...................................................................................................................................Grantham Poole PLLC John Hill.....................................................................................................................................................................WealthPartners Laura Jackson .......................................................................Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration Bobby Knox.........................................................................................................................................................Community Bank Robert Leard ...........................................................................................................................................................................Regions Randy Leister.............................................................................................................................................................BancorpSouth Alan McCormick .......................................................................................................................Ballew Wealth Management Molly Jeffcoat Moody..........................................................................................................................Watkins & Eager PLLC James Y. Palmer......................................................................................................Coker & Palmer Investment Securities Larry Ratzlaff ..................................................................................................................................................................Origin Bank Brian Rippee ............................................................................................................................................................Renasant Bank Billy Siddall ....................................................................................................................................................................Merrill Lynch Sarah Skelton..........................................................................................................................Mississippi Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Museum Laura Hartness Smith .....................................................................................................................................................Trustmark Gary Sparkman.............................................................................................................................................BancorpSouth Bank Andrew (Andy) F. Swoger .....................................................................................................Keesler Federal Credit Union Ryder Taff ...................................................................................................................................................New Perspectives, Inc. Brad Tisdale .........................................................................................................................Reformed Theological Seminary Jerry Toney..................................................................................................................................Cadence Bank for Mississippi Hue L. Townsend, Jr.........................................................................................................Guaranty Bank & Trust Company

Nov. 16 - 29, 2019

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Mississippi Business Journal

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PAST WINNERS GO ONLINE TO NOMINATE FOR FUTURE CLASSES www.msbusiness.com/events/lif

CONGRATULATIONS

Stephanie Hurd

on being chosen as a

2019 LEADER IN FINANCE LEADERS IN FINANCE

Congratulations

KEVIN LONG on being chosen as a 2019 Leader in Finance

Leaders in Finance

30 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q Nov. 16 - 29, 2019

Joseph A. Akanji, CPA

Andy Anderson

Bruno & Tervalon LLP, CPAs

Bank of Anguilla

oseph A. Akanji is a partner incharge who joined Bruno & Tervalon in 1988. He has final authority and responsibility in all aspects of the firm’s operations and audit engagements. He has a wealth of experience in performing compilations, reviews, audits and limited management consulting services for financial institutions, commercial clients, governmental entities, benefits plan, universities, and non-profit organizations.

Akanji graduated from the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now, University of Louisiana at Lafayette) in 1985. He sat for and passed at the first attempt the November 1986 CPA examination and was licensed to practice accounting in the States of Louisiana and Mississippi.

Akanji moved to Jackson in 2005 during Hurricane Katrina. He subsequently became the partner in charge of the firm in Mississippi.

Prior to joining Bruno & Tervalon, Akanji was a senior bank officer for Barclays Bank of Nigeria, a subsidiary of Barclays Bank International of Great Britain, where he worked over 8 years.

Of Akanji’s notable achievements are his community engagements. He is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for African Christian Fellowship, USA, Jackson Chapter, and Treasurer for The Gideons International, Jackson-Madison Camp.

He is married to his first love, Joy; they are blessed with three adult children and two granddaughters.

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ndy Anderson has over 36 years of banking experience, all with Bank of Anguilla. He is Vice-Chairman of the Mississippi Bankers Association (MBA) and has served on the MBA Board of Directors, Executive Committee, Educational Foundation Board, and the PAC Committee. His has chaired the MBA Legislative and Compliance/Audit committees.

He serves on the American Bankers Association’s Community Bankers Council and has served on the ABA Government Relations Council and Professional Development Council. He currently is Vice-Chairman of the ABA Membership Council. He serves as Chairman of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors Banker’s Advisory Board.

He is on the Board of the Community Development Bankers Association. He serves on the Rolling Fork Visitor Center and Museum Board and is a member of the local Rotary Club.

He coached youth baseball for 23 years, high school baseball and softball for 13, and announced football and basketball games for 23 years.

He is a member of First Baptist Church RF, serving as a deacon. He has a Bachelors and Masters of Business Administration degree from the University of Mississippi and is a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU. He has a wife, Tracye Anderson, and two children Ryan and Marlee.

Jason K. Branning

Ralph V. Clark, II

Branning Wealth Advisors

Trustmark

ason Branning is a Certified Financial Planner practitioner specializing in retirement planning. He served as a contributing author for the Financial Planning Association’s general public website. Branning helped to found Modern Retirement Theory, the comprehensive retirement planning process that offers customized solutions for each individual retiree. Branning’s articles Modern Retirement Theory and Using a Hierarchy of Funds to Reach Client Goals (with M. Ray Grubbs, Ph.D.) have been published in numerous publications.

Branning’s quotes and retirement theory have been referenced in outlets including Forbes, MarketWatch, CNBC, Morningstar, NASDAQ.com, Bogleheads.com, and Advisor Perspectives.

Branning is married with 4 children and is active in his local church.

He is an honors graduate of Mississippi College with a B.A. in English and holds a certificate in Financial Planning from Florida State University. His hobbies are reading and running.

alph Clark serves as Trustmark’s Metro Jackson Business Lender and Assistant Vice President. Clark is a graduate of Jackson State University’s College of Business where he received his Bachelors of Business Administration in Finance, and received his Master of Business Administration from Mississippi College, also with a concentration in finance.

He has completed the University Of Mississippi School Of Banking in 2016 and will be a Louisiana State University Graduate School of Banking, graduate in 2021. Before joined Trustmark in 2008.

Clark has more than 15 years of banking and investment related experience. Ralph is a board member of Leadership Greater Jackson, Jobs for Mississippi Graduates and the 100 Black Men of Jackson.

Clark was chosen as MS Business Journals Top 50 under 40 Business Leaders in 2016 and is an active participant with the MS Bankers Association and MS Young Bankers Association.

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Leaders in Finance

Nov. 16 - 29, 2019

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Mississippi Business Journal

W.D. “Woody” Coleman

William Dickerson, III

Regions Bank

Renasant Bank

oody Coleman currently serves as a Vice President and Private Wealth Advisor for Regions Bank in the Jackson Metropolitan Area.

In that role, Coleman delivers a comprehensive approach to wealth management through customized financial solutions.

This tailored approach is supported by a team of subject matter experts, powered by financial principles, and guided by over a hundred years of institutional knowledge and experience.

Coleman is a native of Gulfport and attended the University of Southern Mississippi. He began his career managing the central Mississippi region for one of the largest privately held companies in the United States, Enterprise Rent a Car. He joined Regions Bank in 2010, and has worked in several different capacities. His diverse banking background and management experience helps him bring a broad knowledge of banking and financial solutions to all his clients.

Woody lives in Brandon with his wife Leigh Anne. They have three children, Sophia, Jack, and Walker. Woody holds his CWS designation, and is a graduate of the Ole Miss School of Banking. Woody is also a graduate of the Leadership Madison County Class of 2016 and serves on the board for Madison County Chamber of Commerce. He is a National D licensed soccer coach, and has led his teams to more than 30 championship titles. Woody is also active in several charitable organizations in the community.

ill Dickerson is a relationship officer with Renasant Bank. Deeply involved with the Community Development Foundation of Northeast Mississippi, Dickerson is a CDF ambassador, a member the Tupelo Young Professionals and a participant in the CDF’s annual Reach campaign. He’s served with the Boys and Girls Club, Big Brothers Big Sisters and is also a Rotary Club member and on the board of Keep Tupelo Beautiful.

Dickerson earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Banking and Finance from the University of Mississippi and has been named a Top 40 Under 40 by the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal in Tupelo.

He is married to Lora Claire Dickerson for 5 years and they have a 2 year old son named William.

Dickerson enjoys attending Ole Miss sporting events as well as playing golf, swimming and spending time with his family.

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MEMBER FDIC

Congratulations, Karma Williams Senior Vice President Private Banking & Commercial Relationship Manager

On being named a 2019 Leader in Finance by the Mississippi Business Journal.

www.Origin.bank

Bank Original

601.942.1949

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Leaders in Finance

32 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q Nov. 16 - 29, 2019

Rhonda S. Ferguson

Kimberly L. Hardy

Financial Concepts

Matthews Cutrer

honda Ferguson is a successful female in a male dominated industry.

She has been nationally recognized for her achievements since 2003 by the Capital Group and American Funds Advisory Council.

With more than 35 years experience, Ferguson currently is responsible for overseeing $550 million in assets under management. Her clients include families, retirees, beginning investors, non-profits, and small businesses. From her beginnings as a solo adviser in the business, her practice has now grown to include an equal partner as well as six full-time and 2 part-time support staff.

Ferguson is a proud supporter of Relay for Life, Columbus Lowndes Habitat for Humanity, 200 Million Flowers, T.K. Martin Center for Technology and Accessibility, Special Olympics, and the United Way of Lowndes County. When not helping clients create plans to reach for their dreams and goals, she can be found cheering on her oldest grandson, Bentley, in his sporting events, taking her youngest grandson, Myers, to the park, or enjoying the great outdoors on her bike.

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im Hardy is a shareholder at the Ridgeland-based accounting firm of Matthews, Cutrer, and Lindsay.

Kim’s achievements began early with dual undergraduate degrees and a master’s degree from Millsaps College.

Hardy earned her role as shareholder in a short span of nine years. As she rose through the ranks among the auditing services department, she joined and served organizations such as Junior League Jackson, Certified Fraud Examiners, National Association of Black Accountants, Millsaps College Else School of Business Advisory Board and the Mississippi Society of CPAs. She has led or is leading the Human Resources efforts and revamping the Business Advisory Services department to better align with industry trends and client expectations. The firm’s mentoring program she developed garnered national attention as the cover of the Journal of Accountancy’s August 2017 issue. She is also a graduate of multiple leadership programs with organizations such as the American Institute of CPAs.

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C.A. “Bubba” Holloway

Stephanie R. Hurd

Regions Bank

Magnolia State Bank

ubba Holloway manages a team of wealth advisers and their assistants to offer traditional banking services along with investment management, estate and retirement planning, customized lending solutions, as well as a full range of insurance products. They have offices in Oxford, Tupelo, Starkville, Ridgeland, and Hattiesburg as well as a farm manager in Greenwood.

Holloway earned a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Mississippi State University, where he was a 3-year letterman on the MSU golf team. He also has a degree from the Graduate School of Banking at LSU. He is a 5-time Chairman’s Club Award winner with Regions and a Regions Chairman’s Performance award winner.

Holloway is blessed with two adult daughters. Brooke is an Ole Miss graduate who now resides in Denver and Carly, recently graduated from Mississippi State University and is now in her first year of Physical Therapy School at UMMC. He also enjoys travel, golf, walking his dog, reading and is an avid sports fan.

tephanie Hurd is an administrative assistant with Magnolia State Bank in Heidelburg.

She has served in a plethora of roles there since 2006, including Branch Manager, Loan Officer, Loan Assistant and teller.

Hurd is a graduate of Pearl River Community College and earned a BS in Business Administration from Mississippi College.

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Leaders in Finance

Nov. 16 - 29, 2019

Q

Mississippi Business Journal

Rhoshunda Georgette Kelly

Connie Kirk

Mississippi Dept. of Banking & Consumer Finance

Guaranty Bank & Trust

hoshunda Kelly is the Deputy Commissioner for the Mississippi Department of Banking and Consumer Finance. She has nearly 19 years of regulatory experience and began her career with the Department as a Bank Examiner Trainee. As field examiner, Kelly served as examiner-in-charge and relationship manager of community banks, a subject matter expert in information technology and a trust examiner. After 10 years in the field, Kelly assumed the role of Review Examiner where she ensured completeness and accuracy of examination findings and recommendations.

Kelly served as the Director of Bank Supervision where she was responsible for the daily operations of the Banking Division and supervisory and examination processes for all Mississippi state-chartered banks and credit unions.

She received her undergraduate degree in Business with a concentration in Banking and Finance from Mississippi State University and is a graduate of the School of Banking at Louisiana State University.

Kelly is active in the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS), serving on the CSBS Board of Directors, Education Foundation Board of Trustees, State Supervisory Processes Committee, Supervisory Processes Committee, Chair of the Performance Standards Committee, and the Finance, Compensation and Benefits Committee.

onnie Kirk is a Vice President and Credit Analyst Manager with Guaranty Bank and Trust.

She has more than 25 years of experience in her position. A 1989 graduate of Mississippi State University, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Professional Accountancy. In 1994, she earned her Mississippi Certificate as a Certified Public Accountant and began her career with Eubanks & Betts CPA firm in Jackson.

In 1992, Kirk began her banking career with Sunburst Bank in Grenada, serving as a Credit Analyst. Four years later, she joined Union Planters Bank, predecessor to Regions Bank, as a Senior Credit Analyst. She continued her career at Regions serving as Senior Credit Analyst, Senior Commercial Portfolio Manager, Commercial & Industrial Credit Processing Manager and as a Credit Officer and Credit Processing Manager.

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The First Salutes

RENEE MOORE! Renee was chosen as one of the

2019 LEADERS IN FINANCE by the Mississippi Business Journal.

Renee is a bank director who helps The First deliver on its commitment to provide extraordinary personal service and build strong communities.

TheFirstBank.com

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Leaders in Finance

34 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q Nov. 16 - 29, 2019

Kimberla Little

Kevin Long

Hope Enterprise Corporation

Rivertrust Federal Credit Union

imberla Little is the Executive Vice President, Chief Human Assets Officer for Hope Enterprise Corporation/Hope Credit Union where she has direct oversight for 230 plus employees and managers within the organization’s Southern Region.

Before joining HOPE, The Jackson State University graduate worked as Assistant Vice President for Human Resources with Regions Financial Corporation. In 2012, she completed requirements for her master of science in leadership degree at Belhaven University and in 2018 she completed the Advance Applied Leadership Program at Millsaps Else School of Management.

She has earned numerous professional honors, including Mississippi Business Journal, 2014 Top 40 under 40 and 2015 50 Leading Business Women of the Year Finalist.

Little is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, Jackson State University National Alumni Association, Leadership Greater Jackson’s Class 2012-2013 and an Active member of the Junior League of Jackson.

In her spare time, Little enjoys spending time with family, traveling, and attending sporting events.

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evin Long is the President/CEO of Rivertrust Federal Credit Union in Pearl and has been in the financial services industry for more than 25 years.

Before being named President/CEO in 2006, Long was the Vice President - Accounting & Finance at Rivertrust.

Long served the commercial banking sector for five years prior to this. His roles ranged from teller, loan officer, operations manager, branch manager, security officer, investment management, IT management, compliance and audit. Long has worked with relatively small locally held financial institutions to one of the Top 10 banks in the country. He also has extensive experience in ALM, Fed policy, financial markets, risk management and product development.

Long holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Computer Science from Delta State University.

He has served on several financial industry and community Boards, including the Users’ Council – Corporate America Credit Union, Audit Committee Chairperson - Mississippi Credit Union Association, and Treasurer - VSA Arts of Mississippi.

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Emory L. Mayfield, Jr.

Renee Moore

Hancock Whitney

TMH

ccomplished Gulf South banking executive Emory Mayfield recently brought his winning record of team leadership and client commitment to the Magnolia State as Hancock Whitney’s new Mississippi Regional President.

Mayfield joined Hancock Whitney in 2013 as Tallahassee market president, having already achieved a 10-year legacy of banking success in Florida’s Big Bend region. Hancock Whitney executives emphasized Mayfield’s promotion empowers broader and even more beneficial client-banker partnerships in Mississippi through his exemplary commitment to the company’s core values, his insightful, innovative industry and team leadership, and his zeal for providing clients unfailing 5-star service.

Mayfield began his assignment as Hancock Whitney Mississippi Regional President in June and has relocated to the Mississippi Gulf Coast with his wife and three young daughters.

Before joining Hancock Whitney, Mayfield spent more than 10 years leading various lines of business at Capital City Bank. He also served as a public finance associate with Fannie Mae in Washington, D.C. He holds a Master of Public Policy degree from Harvard University and Bachelor of Science degree in finance from The University of Alabama. He is also the immediate past chairman of the Florida Bankers Association Board of Directors.

resident of Hattiesburg, Renee Moore has more than 30 years of public and private accounting experience and understands the hard work it takes to lead a business. Renee worked her way through college to earn her Bachelors of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Moore is the partner in charge of tax services at TMH, the sixth largest CPA firm in Mississippi. She was also appointed by her peers to serve on the TMH Leadership Team with an active role in the management and strategic planning for the firm. She is also a member of The First, A National Banking Association, Board of Directors, serving on the Audit and Loan committees.

Moore extends her commitment to people and community by serving on the Forrest General Foundation Planned Giving Committee, the 2019 Heart Walk Executive Leadership Team, and the Community Advisory Board for the Hattiesburg Market of The First, A National Banking Association. She has also served as a volunteer at the Edwards Street Food Pantry and the Twentieth Century Club, a charitable organization that provides housing for cancer patients.

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Leaders in Finance

Nov. 16 - 29, 2019

Q

Mississippi Business Journal

Bertram S. “Buddy” Mortimer

Martin Eugenio Palomo, IV

Bank of Kilmichael

Pinnacle Trust

uddy Mortimer joined the Bank of Kilmchael in 1997 and has served as President and Chief Executive Officer since 2010. Under his leadership, the bank established four new locations in North Central Mississippi, and more than tripled in asset size. Mortimer is currently leading a downtown revitalization project by overseeing the acquisition and remodeling of six historic buildings in downtown Kilmichael. Three of the buildings will serve as additional office space for the bank, one will serve as City Hall, and the others will be available for rent.

After graduating from Mississippi State University, Mortimer began his banking career in the management training program at First National Bank in Dallas. He later moved back to Mississippi and joined Deposit Guaranty National Bank, where he worked as a commercial loan officer. While at DGNB, he was promoted to Vice President, Senior Account Officer.

Prior to joining the Bank of Kilmichael, Mortimer interrupted his banking career with a successful entrepreneurial venture when he and two other investors purchased CAE Plastics, Inc., a manufacturing company headquartered in Greenwood, MS. During his tenure at CAE Plastics, the company added plants in Gulfport, MS and Thomson, GA. The company was sold to a venture capital firm in 1997.

Mortimer is married to Laurin Ellis Mortimer, and they are the proud parents of two daughters, Cole Elizabeth (Jared) and Jane Spivey Mortimer.

artin Palomo is Senior Vice President and Financial Advisor for Pinnacle Trust.

Palomo received his Bachelor in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from the Else School of Management at Millsaps College.

He is also a graduate of the College of Financial Planning, where he earned the Accredited Asset Management Specialist designation. Prior to joining Pinnacle Trust, Palomo was a hedge fund analyst in Washington, D.C., advising on approximately $2 billion for institutional clients.

He has also served as the portfolio manager for a $12 billion portfolio at a state pension fund. He is currently a candidate for the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst designation.

Martin serves on the Executive Board for the Brandon Futbol Club, where he coaches competitive and recreational youth soccer teams.

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Congratulations, Lee Seago For being selected as one of Mississippi Business Journal’s

2019 Leaders in Finance

Lee Seago President / Chief Credit Officer

Member FDIC

877.455.1301 Statebank1898.com

Leaders in Finance

36 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q Nov. 16 - 29, 2019

Lynn Phillips-Gaines

Barry Prather

Phillips Financial

Community Bank

hen Lynn Phillips-Gaines joined the financial services industry in 1982, she quickly recognized that the best way to help clients was to serve them with the objectivity and freedom that comes with independence. By 1984, she had opened her own independent practice, one that has lasted for nearly 40 years and manages over $200 million in assets for its clients. Today, Lynn believes her major achievements still lie ahead.

A graduate of Mississippi State University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree, Lynn went on to receive a master’s from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Most recently, Phillips-Gaines was ranked among InvestmentNews’ 2018 Women to Watch, Forbes 2018 Best-in-State Wealth Advisors, and Forbes 2018 Top 200 Women Wealth Advisors.

An active member of the community, Phillips-Gaines has served as past board member or officer of the Starkville Rotary Club, Business and Professional Women, MSU Oktibbeha County Alumna Association and Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway Authority. She also supports the Oktibbeha County Humane Society, Mississippi State University, Alpha Gamma Delta, The Episcopal Church of the Resurrection and Starkville Area Habitat for Humanity. She is also a lifetime member of the NAACP. Outside of work and community, Phillips-Gaines enjoys spending time with her husband, Russell. Her other passions include the outdoors, herr animals, duck hunting, downhill skiing, reading and learning about the people she meets.

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s Metro Jackson Chief Operating Officer, Barry Prather’s responsibilities at Community Bank include managing the day-to-day operations for, part of which includes working directly with the bank’s CEO to help manage the Metro Region’s assets and liabilities.

This also includes working directly with the Chief Credit Officer, Chief Administration Officer, and Division Presidents to assist with managing the bank’s team of staff members and loan officers.

Prather started his banking career after graduating from Mississippi College with Deposit Guaranty National Bank in 1990. He started as a management trainee where he learned general banking. During his five years with DGNB, he served in various offices as a consumer loan officer and branch manager.

He also earned an MBA from Mississippi College in 1994, is a graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Banking and the LSU Graduate School of Banking.

He has participated with Habitat for Humanity’s Bankers Builder, Boy Scouts of America, Ridgeland Chamber, The City of Madison Chamber, Madison County Chamber, coached Ridgeland and Madison youth sports, and coached church youth sports.

Prather’s hobbies include spending time hunting and fishing with both of his children, playing and watching sports, and playing golf.

Lee B. Seago

Clifford P. Stewart

State Bank and Trust

Watkins Ward & Stafford

ee B. Seago serves as President, Chief Credit Officer, and as a Member of the Board of Directors of State Bank & Trust Company at its corporate office in Ridgeland. Seago joined State Bank in 2000 after having previously worked for Deposit Guaranty National Bank in Jackson MS, Starkville MS, and Greenville MS. Prior to his current roles, Seago held positions including Commercial Lender, City President, and Regional Executive for State Bank & Trust Company. While employed at State Bank the bank has grown from a $250 Million Bank primarily located in the MS Delta to a $1.1 Billion Bank with offices in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama.

Seago is most proud of the growth of high quality assets during his tenure at State Bank & Trust Company and credits that success to the dynamic group of employees and loyal base of customers that the bank has developed over the last twenty years. The quality of State Bank’s customers and employees has become even more evident as BankPlus and State Bank have recently entered into a definitive agreement to merge the financial institutions.

Seago graduated from Mississippi State University in 1990 with a BBA in Banking and Finance and still enjoys spending time in Starkville with his family. Seago and his wife, Gina, have been married for 20 years and have one child: Anna Claire (16). They attend Broadmoor Baptist Church in Madison.

liff Stewart earned a Bachelor of Accountancy degree at Mississippi State University in 2004 and a Master of Professional Accountancy at Mississippi State University in 2005. He joined Watkins, Ward and Stafford in 2013 and was admitted as a member of the firm on May 1, 2017.

Stewart is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants.

With more than 12 years’ experience, his practice is concentrated in tax planning and compliance of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individuals. In conjunction with his tax practice, his work also involves management advisory to closely held businesses, which includes all stages in the lifecycle of a business from start-up to shut-down. He has experience dealing with large estates and family wealth management.

Stewart is an active member of St. Peter Antiochian Orthodox Church in Madison.

He is married to Anna Kathryn Stewart, and they have two daughters, Virginia and Mary Alice.

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Leaders in Finance

Nov. 16 - 29, 2019

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Mississippi Business Journal

Sam Taylor

Jeff Turnipseed

Wealthview Capital

WealthPartners

n 2009, after 25 years’ of advising individual and institutional investors Sam Taylor decided to leave the security of a large firm to form Wealthview Capital, a fee-only, independent wealth management firm. “My goal was to create a firm that would be what I would want if I were the client and I think we succeeded.” Wealthview now partners with investors throughout the United States offering goals-based planning, discretionary portfolio management and on-going financial advice. Taylor is on a mission to help investors become better stewards of the resources to which they have been entrusted.

A seventh-generation Mississippian who grew up in south Louisiana, Taylor and wife Melanie are the parents of three grown daughters and one adorable grandson. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Jackson and First Presbyterian Church of Jackson. On most weekends Sam can be found enjoying the outdoors in southwest Mississippi or spending time with his family.

ith more than 25 years of experience as a financial adviser and CPA, Jeff Turnipseed advises clients on issues ranging from retirement planning to income tax planning, sophisticated estate planning and money management. He specializes in helping clients identify key retirement decisions and outline a time line of these decisions.

Jeff worked as a Senior Financial Advisor with a financial management firm for many years and also gained experience previously working at KPMG, Deloitte Touche, and Merrill Lynch. He was a founding partner of the CPA firm, TEC Partners.

Jeff is a graduate of Millsaps College with a Bachelor of Business Administration and degree in Accounting.

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Congratulations BARRY PRATHER FOR BEING NAMED A

LEADER IN FINANCE

BY THE MS BUSINESS JOURNAL

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Leaders in Finance

38 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q Nov. 16 - 29, 2019

Donnie White

Andrew M. Williams

Merchants & Planters Bank

BKD

onnie White has been in the banking industry for 24 years and is currently the Vice President of Merchants and Planters Bank.

He is a graduate of Mississippi State University.

White is married to Kim and they have one son, Hayden.

They live in Madison and are members of the Broadmoor Baptist Church.

ndy Williams recently moved to the BKD Jackson office to serve as the managing partner and to continue advancing our health care practice in the Mississippi region. He joined BKD in 2004 and was previously based in the Springfield office. He is a member of BKD National Health Care Group and provides financial statement audit, Medicare and Medicaid cost report preparation and reimbursement consulting services for hospitals and health systems nationwide.

His experience includes working closely with a variety of health care clients, ranging from rural community providers to large urban hospital systems. Andy has frequently assisted clients with strategic planning, advanced payment models, mergers and acquisitions, Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, state disproportionate share audits, electronic health records consulting and cost report preparations and announcements.

Williams has worked with multiple Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) chapters and is a frequent speaker for HFMA events and other organizations.

He is a member of the American Institute of CPAs, Mississippi Society of CPAs and HFMA. In 2017, he was selected for Springfield Business Journal’s 40 Under 40.

Williams is a 2001 cum laude graduate of Missouri State University, Springfield, with a B.S. degree in accounting.

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Congratulations Andy Anderson

on being named a 2019 Leader in Finance

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Leaders in Finance

Nov. 16 - 29, 2019

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Mississippi Business Journal

Karma Brantley Williams

Elizabeth L. Wynn

Origin Bank

Kyle Wynn & Associates

arma Williams is a Senior Vice President, and Private Banking and Commercial Relationship Manager for Origin Bank. She maintains an office at its Jackson Banking Center at The District at Eastover.

Williams has more than 30 years of banking experience with a range of specialties, including private and commercial banking, small business finance and commercial real estate. Her experience enables her to tailor financial solutions specifically to each client’s needs.

She is a graduate of the University of Mississippi and the Graduate School of Banking at LSU. Williams has held various leadership positions in The Junior League of Jackson, American Heart Association, The Cancer League of Jackson and Christ United Methodist Church. She frequently volunteers at Mustard Seed, the Salvation Army and Stewpot. She was selected as one of the Top 50 Leading Business Women in Mississippi in 2012. She is married to Scott Williams and they have two daughters, Parker and Swayze.

lizabeth Wynn is a partner with Kyle Wynn & Associates, PLLC. She has worked exclusively in the elder law field since she began her legal career.

She prides herself with the ability to provide her clients with the personalized attention, care, accuracy and dedication expected of an Elder Law Attorney.

Wynn graduated from Th e University of Mississippi in 2004, where she earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing as well as Business Management. She attended Mississippi College and in 2008 received a Master of Business Administration degree. In 2011, she received her Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Mississippi College School of Law. While in law school, Wynn received the American Jurisprudence Award in Legal Writing.

Wynn is a member of The Mississippi Bar and its Estates and Trusts Section. She is also a member of the Tennessee Bar and it Elder Law Section. She was chosen among many qualified candidates to serve on the 2017 Mississippi Bar Leadership Forum because of her proven commitment to her community and the legal profession.

Wynn has written numerous articles on various aspects of estate planning. She also frequently presents seminars on estate planning, Nursing Home Medicaid Benefits and other elder law topics to civic groups, churches, professional organizations, assisted living and nursing home facilities, and the general public.

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Mike Zito Trustmark Financial Services ike Zito is President of Trustmark Financial Services where he manages and oversees its investment services/brokerage services. It is under management of approximately $1.95 billion and service approximately 10,000 clients.

Zito has been in the business now for 29 years but at 23 was one of the youngest licensed investment reps in the country and was number one nationally in Dean Witter’s training class.

His most recent accomplishments have been at Trustmark where he has been for nearly 17 years and managing the Financial Services area for the last 13.

He is married to Beth Savage Zito and the have four children jointly. He is the father of 16 year old twins, Trey and Sydney and stepfather to Reed and Will who are 16 and 14.

Despite four teenagers in the house, Zito maintains there is spare time to be had and that he uses that time to hunt, but mostly attends kids sporting events.

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Shining more light on solar.

Entergy Mississippi is committed to providing affordable, reliable and clean power to Mississippians for generations to come. So we’re making it easier for our customers to self-generate solar electricity and incorporate solar power into our power grid. Thanks to net metering, registered solar users earn credit for excess solar energy sent back to the grid.

The Mississippi Public Service Commission is making it easier to understand how solar can work for you.

“A Consumer’s Guide to Solar Power in Mississippi” provides information on how solar and net metering work, and the details you need to consider before purchasing or leasing hardware.

Get the working group’s guide for free at entergybrightfuture.com.

A message from Entergy Mississippi, LLC ©2019 Entergy Services, LLC. All Rights Reserved.