Business Blog

The Mississippi Development Authority says GE Aviation will officially open for business in Mississippi next week. The aviation giant will open its new Ellisville facility at 135 Technology Boulevard on Tuesday at 11:00 AM. The 340,000-square-foot facility will manufacture new aviation composite components. GE Aviation has committed to hiring 250 employees and investing more than $50 [...]

The Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) will lead a delegation of Mississippi businesses on a business development mission to San Jose, Costa Rica and Panama City, Panama from July 14-20, 2013. The trip is designed to connect Mississippi companies looking to expand trade and create new business relationships with opportunities in the two markets. “In recent [...]

Mississippi is among 37 states vying to be one of six sites selected by the Federal Aviation Administration for testing of Unmanned Aircraft Systems. The testing is a prelude to integrating the remotely controlled aircraft into the nation’s general aviation system. If testing proves successful, the next step will be wide commercial use of the [...]

Smithsonian Magazine has named Cleveland, Miss., No. 2 in its list of America’s 20 Best Small Towns to Visit in 2013. “We are very excited about this designation and appreciate the attention it is bringing to Cleveland and the surrounding area,” Cheryl Line, Cleveland-Bolivar County Tourism Director said in a news release. “We hope this [...]

For anyone who has the dream of opening their own business, or wants to improve their current small business, a few openings are still available for the upcoming Entrepreneur Academy in Natchez. The Entrepreneur Academy is a combined effort among Alcorn State University, Natchez, Inc., and the Mississippi Development Authority. The three-month program begins April [...]

Are you interested in owning a NauticStar 203 SC Deck Boat? If so, then you have only a three  days remaining to register in the Mississippi Development Authority’s “Find Your True South” sweepstakes. Midnight Sunday is the entry deadline for a chance to win the grand prize of the Amory-built boat. To register for the [...]

Tupelo-based BancorpSouth has earmarked $500 million for loans to businesses and entrepreneurs seeking to locate in our state, as well as for existing businesses looking to expand operations through a loan pool dubbed “Grow Mississippi 2013.” In announcing the initiative, BancorpSouth CEO Dan Rollins said additional funding will be added to the loan pool during [...]

  Ashley Furniture Industries is expanding its manufacturing in Mississippi with the start of operations in a 275,000-square-foot facility in Verona, and will create 60 jobs at the new plant. Ashley Furniture has been in the state for nearly 20 years and has plants in Ecru and Ripley. It will use its new Verona facility, [...]

Marlo Dorsey will be joining the Mississippi Development Authority as its chief marketing officer effective Dec. 3. Dorsey comes to MDA from Jones County Junior College (JCJC), where she has served as the college’s vice president of marketing for seven years. In this position, she has managed a team responsible for the college’s publications, websites, and [...]

The Mississippi Development Authority is searching for an international business recruiter to head up its global business development. The MDA is creating the position as part of reorganization that severs business retention from international business development, Brent Christensen, MDA executive director, said at a press briefing Monday. “We have to find a way to build [...]