Business Blog

By: Matthew D. Bolian Since 2011, a fight has been brewing in the state capitol over where the Department of Revenue (DOR) and its 500 plus workers are going to relocate. In one corner is Sen. David Blount, D-Jackson, and in the other is Speaker of the House Philip Gunn, R-Clinton. Sen. Blount represents those [...]

When Gov. Phil Bryant delivered his inaugural address, he pledged to work hard to build a Mississippi where every resident who wants a job can find a job. In order to attract new opportunities, Mississippi must position itself as a prime location for business and workforce development.  To generate solid policies to help our state [...]

The Mississippi Technology Alliance (MTA) will host the Mississippi Innovators Hall of Fame Awards Gala, Nov. 13. The 13th Annual Conference on Technology Innovation, hosted by MTA, will be held Nov. 14. Both events will be held at the Jackson Convention Complex. The Mississippi Innovators Hall of Fame was established in 2008 as a tribute [...]

The state’s tourism director informed the Mississippi Development Authority’s Interim Executive Director Jim Barksdale, tourism staff and industry partners on Wednesday that she is resigning her post to take a position with the Ridgeland Tourism Commission. MDA Tourism Director Mary Beth Wilkerson is leaving her position effective June 15, 2012. Wilkerson, who has been with [...]

Upon announcing the appointment of Brent Christensen to the directorship of the Mississippi Development Authority, Gov. Phil Bryant recalled joking about the salary with current interim chief Jim Barksdale. “I told (Barksdale) I would double what Leland Speed was making,” Bryant said. “Leland was making a dollar a year.” The governor has an eye for [...]

AT&T representatives announced this morning that Mississippi is getting a $53 million investment from the telecom giant following recent reforms made to the Federal Communications Commission’s Universal Service Fund. In a release, AT&T says that most of the investment will go towards more broadband development for their customers especially in rural parts of the state. [...]

From the Mississippi Development Authority: Kimberly-Clark Corporation [NYSE: KMB] has announced it is locating a distribution facility in Southaven, Miss.  The company’s Southaven distribution center will employ more than 100 workers and represents a capital investment of approximately $2 million. “I am pleased Kimberly-Clark is expanding its business presence in Mississippi,” Governor Phil Bryant said. [...]

Speakers address energy, education and health JACKSON – Members of the business community gathered at the Marriott hotel in Jackson today to hear Gov.-elect Phil Bryant’s agenda for economic development and the details of Blueprint Mississippi, a report on improving the state’s economic health that is sponsored by the Mississippi Economic Council (MEC) and other [...]

JACKSON — Governor-elect Phil Bryant appointed Jim Barksdale Interim Executive Director of the Mississippi Development Authority today. Barksdale, former President and CEO of Netscape Communications Corp., will succeed Leland Speed as chief of the agency that leads Mississippi’s economic development efforts. “When I campaigned for governor, economic development and job creation were cornerstones of my [...]