(Photo from Tate County EDF)
- Higgins, who was abruptly removed from his longtime position with the Golden Triangle Development LINK in August, said his role is to help provide a road map that will lead to exponential growth of Tate County.
On Monday, the Tate County Board of Supervisors and the Tate County Economic Development Foundation announced an agreement with 2EQLAST Consulting, led by Joe Max Higgins, to head the Tate County EDF team.
2EQLAST stands for “Second Equals Last.”
Tate County District One Supervisor Leigh Ann Darby said in a statement that Higgins’ “contacts and experience with economic development will only make Tate County more prosperous and a better place to live for years to come.”
Both boards publicly thanked State Representative Trey Lamar (R) for making the first contact and working hard to make the deal between the boards and Higgins happen.
Higgins, whose contract begins February 1, said his role is to help provide a road map that will lead to exponential growth of Tate County.
“We will review the entire economic development program, and to work collaboratively with local, regional, and state partners involved in the recently formed regional economic development effort, with a particular focus on strengthening and advancing Tate County’s role within that broader initiative,” Higgins said.
Back in August 2025, the Golden Triangle Development LINK abruptly announced that the organization was parting ways with Higgins, its 20-year CEO.
It was later learned that Higgins’ removal came “after learning of workplace behavior and speech espoused by Mr. Higgins over an extended period that do not reflect the values of this organization and the communities we serve,” according to a statement from the LINK’s executive committee days after the news of his ouster was first reported.
Higgins has been credited for his role in bringing more than 10,000 jobs and $10 Billion in business investment to the Columbus-Starkville-West Point “Golden Triangle” during his time with the LINK. Among the businesses Higgins helped recruit to the area included Steel Dynamics, Aluminum Dynamics, Boeing, Paccar, Airbus, Peco Foods, and Yokohama Tire.
