Spotlighting the people and businesses in Mississippi making headlines in their communities and across their industry.
Here’s a look at what’s happening across the workforce and business community in Mississippi.
Convention South’s Readers’ Choice Awards 19 in Mississippi
Convention South Readers’ Choice Awards have been announced and Mississippi has 19 winners in their 2023 December Annual Awards Issue among the top 448 meeting sites and destinations in the South.
Convention South is a national, multi-media resource for planning events in the United States south. The Readers’ Choice Awards are comprised of meeting sites that were nominated for exemplary service for group events and voted upon on an online ballot. The 2023 awards garnered over 8,000 votes and the highest social media interaction to date, making it the most engaging and successful year since its creation in 2001.
Mississippi’s honorees are:
- The Alluvian Hotel
- Beau Rivage Resort & Spa
- Coastal Mississippi
- Golden Nugget Casino Hotel Biloxi
- Graduate Oxford
- GRAMMY Museum Mississippi
- Hard Rock Casino Biloxi
- Harrah’s Gulf Coast Hotel & Casino
- Margaritaville Resort Biloxi
- Mississippi Aquarium
- Natchez Convention Center
- Oxford Conference Center
- Palace Casino Resort
- Pearl River Resort
- Visit Jackson
- Visit Natchez
- Visit Oxford
- VisitHATTIESBURG
- The White House Hotel
Ingalls Shipbuilding Christening Bougainville (LHA 8)
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Pascagoula will christen the Navy’s third America-class amphibious assault ship Bougainville (LHA 8) on Saturday, December 2.
Mrs. Ellyn S. Dunford is the sponsor of Bougainville (LHA8). She is the spouse of General Joe Dunford, the 19th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Other ceremony participants include U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and federal officials.
According to Ingalls, Bougainville is the first ship in the America class to be built with a well deck. The ship will retain aviation capabilities while adding the surface assault capability of a well deck and a larger flight deck configured for F-35B Joint Strike Fighter and MV-22 Osprey aircraft. These large-deck amphibious assault ships also include top-of-the-line medical facilities with full operating suites and triage capabilities.
LHA 8 is the second ship named in honor of Bougainville Island in the Solomons. The name commemorates a successful World War II campaign enabled by close coordination between the Navy, Marine Corps and our allies. During the campaign, which lasted from 1943 to 1944, allied forces secured a strategic airfield from Japan in the northern Solomon Islands, helping the allies break the Japanese stronghold in the South Pacific.
Ole Miss RISE Center to Support Small Business Growth in Mississippi
The University of Mississippi recently announced a new center is offering resources for small businesses in the state that seek to expand and grow.
The Mississippi Small Business Development Center was approved by the state Institutions of Higher Learning to establish the Resources for International Success and Expansion Center, or RISE Center, at Ole Miss.
According to a release from Ole Miss, the new RISE Center offers counseling and resources that focus on six areas:
- Cybersecurity
- Technology commercialization
- International trade
- Market research
- Digital transformation
- Financial analysis
Entergy named a top utility in economic development for 16th year
For 16 consecutive years, Site Selection magazine has recognized Entergy Corporation as a top utility for economic growth in the communities they serve, which include some of the largest and most power-intensive industries in the United States.
In 2022, Entergy Mississippi helped secure $808 million in capital investments and create nearly 1,050 new jobs within Mississippi.
“The success of our communities leans on their economic development achievements, and we’re proud to see our communities strengthen as a result of the projects we’re supporting,” said Ed Gardner, Entergy Mississippi vice president of business and economic development, in a release announcing the honor. “In Mississippi, our focus on community advancement started with our Helping Hands Initiative—the state’s oldest private economic development program, and continues today with efforts like our Excellerator Competitive Communities grants.”
Site Selection magazine determines each year’s honorees by assessing criteria including each utility’s job-creating infrastructure and facility investment trends, innovative programs and incentives for businesses and website tools and data.
Morrison joins UBS in Jackson
UBS Wealth Management USA has announced that Russell Morrison has joined their team as a Financial Advisor in Jackson.
Morrison has more than a decade of experience providing comprehensive wealth management services to multi-generational families with the understanding that the stewardship of family resources extends beyond the life of the wealth creators.
UBS is a leading and truly global wealth manager and the leading universal bank in Switzerland. It also provides diversified asset management solutions and focused investment banking capabilities. With the acquisition of Credit Suisse, UBS manages 5.5 trillion dollars of invested assets as per second quarter 2023. UBS helps clients achieve their financial goals through personalized advice, solutions and products. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, the firm is operating in more than 50 countries around the globe. UBS Group shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange.
Madison County Community Trust announces 2023-2024 Board of Directors
The Madison County Business League & Foundation (MCBL&F) has announced the 2024 Madison County Community Trust (MCCT) Officers & Board of Directors.
The Madison County Community Trust, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to improving the educational health, economic and social status and wellbeing of the citizens of Madison County, Mississippi. The Madison County Business League & Foundation is proud to continuously support the efforts of MCCT.
Board members are Raymond VanNorman, Renasant Bank; MCCT Chair Barney Daly, Community Bank of MS; MCCT Treasurer Cecil Harper, Harper Rains Knight & Company; Brian Johnson, FBBI/Trustmark; MCBL&F Chair John Geary, Tellus Operating Group; Brad Gatlin, BankPlus; MCCT Vice Chair/Secretary Wesley Goings, C Spire; and Phil Buffington, Adams & Reese.
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Frank Corder
