MDA introduces PriorityOne program

JACKSON — On Oct. 14, the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) held events around the state for local economic developers during a nine-city rollout of the new PriorityOne program. An effort of MDA’s Existing Industry and Business (EIB) Division, PriorityOne is a key component of the agency’s business retention and expansion program.



Goals of PriorityOne include assisting businesses in solving immediate and long-term problems, promoting economic development and job creation and strengthening and diversifying the local economy.

 To achieve these goals, MDA staff and local economic developers interview businesses throughout the state to assess their particular needs and concerns, using the PriorityOne survey questions as a guide.

All survey results are entered into a Web-based database. MDA analyzes this data and reports the survey results, in the aggregate, to each local community. With this information, local developers and state officials can provide relevant assistance to businesses in each community. 


PriorityOne will provide local officials with important information about their communities’ business climates, which will assist them as they define their communities’ priorities and determine how best to allocate their resources. At the state level, this program will enable MDA to develop policy and implement programs that will be most effective in assisting the state’s existing businesses.



“The PriorityOne program is a key strategy in the state’s business retention and expansion efforts, and it will be beneficial for businesses around the state, particularly during a time when economic development efforts and job creation are critical to maintaining a healthy economy,” said Chandler Russ, EIB Division director. “The program will provide MDA staff and local developers a deeper understanding of the issues and concerns of businesses located in Mississippi, in turn helping us provide them with timely and relevant assistance so they can continue to thrive in their communities.” 


The PriorityOne rollout appreciation events were held in Brookhaven, Columbus, Greenwood, Gulfport, Hattiesburg, Jackson, Meridian, Oxford and Tupelo. 


To learn more about the PriorityOne program, call (601) 359.3593, or e-mail eibus@mississippi.org.

To sign up for Mississippi Business Daily Updates, click here.

2 Responses to “MDA introduces PriorityOne program”

1. Mississippi Coast Chamber of Commerce » Blog Archive » MEDC: Economic Development News Week of October 19 Says:
   October 19th, 2009 at 11:18 am

   [...] On Oct. 14, the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) held events around the state for local economic developers during a nine-city rollout of the new PriorityOne program. http://msbusiness.com/blog/2009/10/mda-introduces-priorityone-program/ [...]

2. Economic Development News Week of October 19, 2009 « Carol’s Weblog Says:
   October 26th, 2009 at 2:09 pm

   [...] On Oct. 14, the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) held events around the state for local economic developers during a nine-city rollout of the new PriorityOne program. http://msbusiness.com/blog/2009/10/mda-introduces-priorityone-program/ [...]