The Mississippi Business Journal articles from June 2004

The Mississippi Business Journal archives from June 2004

Bard for biz? Oxford offering full slate of cultural activities this summer.
June 7, 2004... OXFORD -- Efforts underway since 1997 to coordinate tourism and quality-of-life initiatives in this college town are paying off with a full slate of cultural family-style activities. It continues to grow with the addition of the inaugural...

GodwinGroup branding official bat of baseball.(Louisville Slugger)
June 7, 2004... JACKSON -- When Todd Ballard ventured into the hallowed vault of the Louisville Slugger Museum in Louisville, Ky., earlier this year to research a branding assignment for the 120-year-old bat making company, he was thrilled to see a collection...

NMHS taps Fla. executive as new CEO.(North Mississippi Health Services ()
June 7, 2004... TUPELO -- The search may be over, but the real work is about to begin. Following a nine-month national recruiting initiative, the board of directors of Tupelo-based North Mississippi Health Services (NMHS) named John R. Heer Jr. as its new...

Tupelo Christian Preparatory School plans expansion.
June 7, 2004... TUPELO -- Last summer, Tupelo Christian Preparatory School (TCPS) was celebrating its move into a more spacious 32,000-square-foot facility on 45 acres on Endville Road in the western part of the city. Less than a year later, the school has...

Network streaming making tech support faster, more effective.
June 7, 2004... RIDGELAND -- Two years ago, 22-year-old Joel Bomgaars, a new systems engineer for Ridgeland-based Business Communications Inc. (BCI) and recent Belhaven College grad, needed to be in two places at the same time. Realizing that he was...

Campaign finance law compromise?(Perspective)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... One hopes that Gov. Haley Barbour and state legislators will be able to work out a meaningful compromise on campaign finance reform in time for this year's judicial races. In late May, the governor vetoed legislation that had received...

Entitlement fallacy a drain on all of us.(As I See It)(Column)
June 7, 2004... As I write this column, the special session for tort reform is rocking back and forth. Gov. Haley Barbour and the Senate have been working to pressure the House to vote on legislation implementing awards' caps for pain and suffering. ...

Banking is a business for and about people.(Banking Today)(Column)
June 7, 2004... Over the past two decades, I've worked in a bank, written about banks and gone to school with bankers in various fellowship programs. As many banking institutions have aimed to transform themselves into more comprehensive financial services...

McDonald's serving up value menu, value add for customers.(From the Ground Up)(Column)
June 7, 2004... You've heard me say it before and you will hear me say it again--the only thing left to sell is convenience. If you need more proof, I have some examples from the real estate and land use world. McDonald's is synonymous with convenience....

Mississippi Association of Mortgage Brokers fostering ethics, education.(Letter to the Mississippi Business Journal)(Letter to the Editor)
June 7, 2004... First, I would like to commend your staff and organization for the informative publication you produce. It represents small business, as well as the largest industries in our state. At the same time, it serves as a valuable source of...

Mary Anna Evans.(People to Watch)(Patrick D. Smith Florida Literature Award )(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... First-time author Mary Anna Evans, a Hattiesburg native and a graduate of the University of Mississippi, has received the 2004 Patrick D. Smith Florida Literature Award for her novel "Artifacts" from the Florida Historical Society. "Artifacts"...

Jones County Junior College.(People to Watch)(monetary awards)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Five faculty members recently received monetary awards at the Jones County Junior College Faculty Appreciation Luncheon. The overall award winner for this year was automotive technology instructor and industrial services division chair Harold...

Bumpers Drive-in.(People to Watch)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Bumpers Drive-in, owned by Canton-based Jackie's International, recently awarded scholarships in the restaurant chain's annual contest. Canton resident Lauren Waggoner, a senior at Madison Central High School, was the grand prize winner of the...

Bailey Retail.(People to Watch)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Jonathan Bailey has opened Bailey Retail in Ocean Springs, a local provider for hardware as well as software and consulting. Bailey has over 25 years of retail operations experience, 10 years' software implementation experience and is Microsoft...

Jackson VA Federal Credit Union.(People to Watch)(appointments)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Stephen E. (Steve) Pollman Jr. has been named president and CEO of Jackson VA Federal Credit Union. A Mobile, Ala., native, he began his career in the financial services industry there in 1966. He most recently held the position of vice...

First M&F Corporation.(People to Watch)(appointments)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Jeffrey A. Camp, Hollis Cheek, Michael L. Nelson and Larry Terrell have been elected to the First M&F Corporation board of directors. Camp, EVP and senior credit officer, joined the bank in 1998. He earned his bachelor's degree in banking and...

National Bank of Commerce.(People to Watch)(appointments)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Bill Malone has joined NBC as vice president/senior consumer credit underwriter. Malone has over 21 years of banking experience and comes to NBC from AmSouth where he served as assistant vice president for the Starkville area. A native of...

Tunica honors tourism supporters.(People to Watch)
June 7, 2004... Special to the Mississippi Business Journal The Tunica Convention and Visitors Bureau joined the Tunica County Chamber of Commerce at Hollywood Casino Resort to honor area individuals and groups for the vital role each has played in the...

Sanderson Farms chooses sites for new facilities in Georgia.(Strictly Business)(poultry processing plant and wastewater treatment facility)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... LAUREL -- Poultry company Sanderson Farms Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFM) has chosen sites in Georgia for the construction of a new poultry processing complex. Sites near Adel in Cook County have been selected for a new feed mill and hatchery, while a...

Company expands debt collection biz.(Strictly Business)(Security Holdings, LLC)(Security Credit Services)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... OXFORD -- Security Holdings, LLC, the parent company of the check collection and protection company Security Check, has formed a new debt purchasing and management services company--Security Credit Services. The new company has completed its...

MEDC conference agenda set.(Strictly Business)(Mississippi Economic Development Council )(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... The Mississippi Economic Development Council's (MEDC) Summer Conference 2004, titled "Sailing Toward Success," will be held July 7-9, 2004, at the Isle of Capri Resort-Biloxi. The event will offer concurrent sessions on such wide-ranging...

With budget slashed, MDOT initiates trimming.(Strictly Business)(Mississippi Department of Transportation)
June 7, 2004... The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) has made its first and second rounds of cuts as a result of the transfer of $133 million this year to the state general fund, according to MDOT executive director Larry L. "Butch" Brown. ...

Employment unchanged in April; labor force climbs.(Strictly Business)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Despite a slight increase in the state's labor force, Mississippi's unemployment rate for April did not change from March's rate of 4.6%, according to the Mississippi Employment Security Commission (MESC). The April 2003 rate was 6.3%. The...

More than half of Feb. bar exam takers out-of-staters.(Strictly Business)
June 7, 2004... More than half of the people who took the Mississippi Bar Examination in February were already licensed to practice law in other states, according to results recently released by the Mississippi Board of Bar Admissions. A statistical...

Phelps Dunbar ranked No. 1 for diversity in hirings.(Strictly Business)(law firms)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... NEW ORLEANS -- In the spring 2004 issue of The Minority Law Journal, Phelps Dunbar, LLP, received recognition for having the highest percentage of African-American lawyers among the 250 largest law firms in the nation. In its annual survey...

Dam loan deadline looms.(Strictly Business)
June 7, 2004... The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding interested parties that June 8, 2004, is the deadline to file physical disaster loan applications from the Big Bay Lake dam failure that occurred March 12, 2004. Homeowners, renters...

Golf course construction underway at Hugh White.(Strictly Business)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... Construction has begun on a long-awaited 18-hole public golf course at Hugh White State Park on Grenada Lake. The groundbreaking ceremony was held May 25 at the golf course site. Eight years in the making, the 18-hole public golf course...

Weyerhaeuser sets safety milestone.(Strictly Business)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... COLUMBUS -- Team members of Weyerhaeuser Company's Columbus Modified Fiber operation recently celebrated 11 years without a lost-time accident. That means no accident that required time away from work since the operation first began production...

Hanbury & Dvorak opening.(Strictly Business)(law firms)(Hanbury & Dvorak, PC. )(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... HATTIESBURG -- Attorneys Jack Hanbury and Mark Dvorak, who formerly practiced law together in Kentucky, are forming Hanbury & Dvorak, PC. The corporation, set to open July 1, 2004, will provide legal and government relations services to clients...

United Country-Gibson recognized.(Strictly Business)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... MCCOMB -- United Country-Gibson Realty was recently named as one of the top 75 offices nationwide, among all United Country offices coast to coast for the first quarter of 2004. The office captured the company's Founders Award for sales...

BellSouth honored for diversity.(Strictly Business)(A. Leon Higginbotham Corporate Leadership Award)(Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights under Law)(Brief Article)
June 7, 2004... JACKSON -- BellSouth Corporation was recently honored for its commitment to diversity with the A. Leon Higginbotham Corporate Leadership Award, presented by the Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights under Law. At a recent ceremony in New...

Sun-Pine expansion boosting space, adding production line: million-dollar project expected to take about four months.
June 7, 2004... When Sun-Pine began operations in 1965, a 55-gallon drum was used for mixing, each bottle was placed under the spigot by hand and each bottle was hand-labeled. Today, the company, which produces 25 million bottles of household cleaning products...

Real estate remains an attractive investment option.
June 7, 2004... GULFPORT -- The stock market is volatile. Rates for CDs are dismal. So, where is a wise investor to go? Real estate is increasingly attractive. As Baby Boomers eye the future, many are investing in a second home or two to help diversify...

Tennessee, Alabama join tourism compact for Natchez Trace.
June 7, 2004... TUPELO -- Communities along the 444-mile Natchez Trace Parkway linking Nashville with Natchez will benefit from an added marketing boost as Alabama and Tennessee joined Mississippi as partners in the Natchez Trace Compact. The...

Banks, credit unions often competing for same customers: taxation, regulation issues moving on Capitol Hill.(Banking & Financial Services)
June 7, 2004... Banking professionals are up in arms about what they say are unfair business advantages credit unions have over banks. The debate brewing over whether credit unions should be taxed like banks has moved to Capitol Hill, particularly after...

Financial services employment provides promising outlook.(Banking & Financial Services)
June 7, 2004... If statistics align themselves with workplace realities, college graduates should find ample opportunities for employment--and the building of a career path--in the financial services industry in the next few years. "The financial services...

Annual MBA convention focused on softer side of banking.(Banking & Financial Services)(Mississippi Bankers Association)
June 7, 2004... Mississippi bankers agreed the highlight of the association's annual convention May 19-23 the Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort in Florida was the speech, "Failure Need Not Be Final," by retired Commander Scott Waddle, a 22-year naval officer who...

Striving for local input, banks turn to advisory boards.(Banking & Financial Services)
June 7, 2004... While many banking institutions have become more regional in size and scope, they still strive to retain a strong local presence within individual communities. Knowledgeable employees and convenient locations are critical to this effort, but...

Financial institutions see increased reporting requirements.(Banking & Financial Services)
June 7, 2004... There is certainly no guarantee that the U.S. won't once again be targeted by a terrorist attack. But changes made to the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) as a result of the passage of the USA Patriot Act are designed to prevent foreign terrorists from...

Journalist turned banker finds similarities in the two professions.(Banking & Financial Services)
June 7, 2004... BAY ST. LOUIS -- This banker does not fit the stereotype. You won't find Jeannie Deen, vice president of The Peoples Bank of Biloxi, hunched over a ledger full of numbers. She's a word person, a former journalist and English teacher who can...

ATMs grow smarter, more accepted in the marketplace.(Banking & Financial Services)(Automated teller machines)
June 7, 2004... Remember the days before ATMs? When if you didn't get to the bank by Friday at 5, you didn't have any money for the weekend? ATMs are so much a part of the landscape now, with an estimated 350,000 in service across the U.S., that it may be...

CEO thinks The First has 'more of an entrepreneurial spirit': bank has 1,100 local shareholders in Jones, Forrest, Lamar and Pearl River counties.(Banking & Financial Services)(The First National)
June 7, 2004... HATTIESBURG -- At a time when community banks are disappearing, a new one has formed in South Mississippi. In January, the First National Bank of South Mississippi and First National Bank of the Pine Belt consolidated under one holding...

MBA president Gene Walker discusses family, banking trends, issues.(A Mississippi Business Journal Q&A)(Mississippi Bankers Association)(Interview)
June 7, 2004... FOREST -- From a powerhouse family of bankers, Thomas E. "Gene" Walker was destined for a career in the banking industry. During the late 1960s and 1970s, four men in the Walker family entered the business: Friend Walker and his three sons,...

Bank advertising not just warm and fuzzy anymore.(Banking & Financial Services)
June 7, 2004... Many changes have come to the banking industry, and nowhere is that more evident than in bank marketing departments that are charged with developing and executing elaborate advertising campaigns. Warm, fuzzy institutional advertising has been...

Credit unions.(Directory)(Illustration)
June 7, 2004... Credit Unions Name, Year Founded Address Keesler Federal Credit Union, 1947 P.O. Box 7001, Biloxi, MS 39534-7001 Navigator Credit Union, 1939 ...

Wildlife watchers: passive enjoyment in the great outdoors.(Outdoor Impact)(Column)
June 7, 2004... I used to think I never met a tree hugger that I couldn't learn to dislike. My own training in biology and wildlife management grounded me to believe in the principles of conservation or the wise use of natural resources. The old-school tree...

Union-organizing efforts falling short in Mississippi: auto industry sending signal? AFL-CIO chief doesn't think so.
June 14, 2004... Many Mississippi businesses were caught by surprise when a unionizing campaign was quickly organized at Tower Automotive, a supplier to the Nissan automotive assembly plant in Canton. Even though Tower employees ended up voting against joining...

Hattiesburg-based eValueville gets big on eBay: founder learned valuable lesson from Hudson's: 'the buy always drives the sales.'.
June 14, 2004... Andrew Waites, founder and president of Hattiesburg's eValueville, says that his company has become eBay's biggest seller of discount, new apparel because he follows a rule he learned while working at Hudson's Inc.: "The buy always drives the...

Employers jump as changes come to overtime regs: Bush Administration works to clarify before deadline.
June 14, 2004... Mississippi employers are scrambling to comply with the new overtime regulations recently promulgated by the Bush Administration, which call for sweeping changes in the determination of overtime pay for "exempt" employees. The U.S....

Downtown Jackson gearing up for up to 50,000 visitors.(Jubilee Jam 2004 Musical Festival)
June 14, 2004... JACKSON--Up to 50,000 people are expected to attend the Jubilee Jam 2004 Musical Festival, to be held downtown June 18-19, with headlining acts Steppenwolf, Chaka Khan, Robert Cray Band and Delbert McClinton. "The value is tremendous," said...

Not quite finished with tort reform.(Perspective)(Brief Article)
June 14, 2004... Tough issues are rarely resolved without compromise. Such was the case as the Legislature moved toward a conclusion of the special session on tort reform in the early days of June. We are quick to chide legislators for their failure to act...

Reagan's death prompts conservative introspection.(As I See It)(Biography)
June 14, 2004... The 60th anniversary observance of D-Day was somewhat upstaged by the death of Ronald Reagan on June 5th. The former president is revered as a man of principle, an unwavering optimist and a fearless proponent freedom for all of the world's...

Ask yourself: incompetent or in the wrong job?(Great Expectations)(The Peter Principle)
June 14, 2004... A decade or so ago, Laurence J. Peter created quite a stir with his book, "The Peter Principle." An over simplification of his theory was that persons in bureaucratic institutions are promoted until they reached the level of their incompetence....

Community Foundation of Greater Jackson.(Linda Montgomery selected this year as one of five community foundation leaders)(Brief Article)
June 14, 2004... Linda Montgomery of Jackson, president of the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson, was selected this year as one of five community foundation leaders in the United States to travel to Europe this month for an exchange program to share...

Hancock Bank.(David K. Thomas will lead Hancock Bank's Jackson County)(Brief Article)
June 14, 2004... Pascagoula native David K. Thomas will lead Hancock Bank's Jackson County team as the new manager of the company's Eastern Division. Thomas, a 22-year veteran of the financial services industry, has served as an assistant vice president and...

Stewart Sneed Hewes/ BancorpSouth Insurance.(Angle Berry appointed)(Brief Article)
June 14, 2004... Angle Berry has joined Stewart Sneed Hewes/BancorpSouth Insurance as commercial lines customer service representative. Berry, a native of Mendenhall, has nine years of experience in the insurance services industry. She earned her associate's...

Crossgates Methodist Children's Center.(People to Watch)(Beverly Peden awarded 2004 National Child Care Director of the Year)(Brief Article)
June 14, 2004... The National Association of Child Care Professionals (NACCP) has named the 2004 National Child Care Director of the Year, Beverly Peden, director of Crossgates Methodist Children's Center in Brandon. Peden was a teacher/supervisor, art teacher...

Mississippi Supreme Court.(People to Watch)(2004 Judicial Innovation Award presented to William L. Waller Jr.)(Brief Article)
June 14, 2004... Mississippi Supreme Court presiding justice William L. Waller Jr. of Jackson is the recipient of the 2004 Judicial Innovation Award presented by the Hinds County Bar Association and the Jackson Young Lawyers Association. Waller was chosen to...

Phelps Dunbar, LLP.(People to Watch)(Brief Article)
June 14, 2004... Several Mississippi attorneys with Phelps Dunbar were listed in the 2004-2005 reference book, "Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers for Business." In Mississippi, Phelps Dunbar was ranked first in the corporate/commercial, employment and...

USDA Technology and eGovernment Advisory Council.(United States. Department of Agriculture)(Brief Article)
June 14, 2004... Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman appointed nine members to the new USDA Technology and eGovernment Advisory Council, including Umesh Narendra Sanjanwala, director, information management for the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and...

Friends of Mississippi State Hospital.(People to Watch)(Brief Article)
June 14, 2004... For the third straight year, former Mississippi legislator and radio personality Farmer Jim Neal helped raise thousands of dollars for Friends of Mississippi State Hospital, Inc. Teams and players in the third annual Farmer Jim Neal Golf...

Collins Financial Network.(People to Watch)(appointments)(Brief Article)
June 14, 2004... Collins Financial Network, a general agency of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, announces the following additions to its Jackson staff: Glen E. Smith has joined the firm as a financial services professional. He previously served for...

MDA: new, expanded facilities create 4,600-plus jobs.(Strictly Business)(Mississippi Development Authority)(Brief Article)
June 14, 2004... According to the Mississippi Development Authority, new and expanded facilities announced in Mississippi from January-May 2004 will create an estimated 4,627 new jobs and represent an estimated capital investment of approximately $852.24...

Miskelly Furniture opens new showroom.(Strictly Business)(Brief Article)
June 14, 2004... JACKSON -- On June 9, Miskelly Furniture opened its new, 43,000-square-foot expansion to its showroom. The new showroom includes Daddy Skelly's Country Store with food and Mississippi-made products and an antique carousel that will provide...

Home health agency sold.(Strictly Business)(Brief Article)
June 14, 2004... VICKSBURG -- Amedisys Inc., a home health nursing company based in Baton Rouge, La., has acquired a single home health agency in Vicksburg from River Region Health System. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The acquisition...

Mitchell Distributing in Delta.(Mitchell Distributing Co. relocated )(Brief Article)
June 14, 2004... LELAND -- Mitchell Distributing has a new home in the Delta. The Meridian-based company has relocated Riverside Distributors, which it purchased in 2002, from downtown Greenville to a 50900-square-foot warehouse on U.S. 82 in Leland. The...

Microtek buys in Europe.(Strictly Business)(Microtek Medical B.V. has acquired certain businesses of International Medical Products B.V.)(Brief Article)
June 14, 2004... COLUMBUS -- Microtek Medical Holdings Inc.'s newly formed Netherlands-based subsidiary Microtek Medical B.V. has acquired certain businesses of International Medical Products B.V. and affiliates (IMP) from Cardinal Health. Financial terms of...

Sudden death tests negative.(Strictly Business)(oak death disease)(Brief Article)
June 14, 2004... JACKSON -- The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce (MDAC) has collected and tested samples from 27 nurseries across the state for sudden oak death disease. According to MDAC, all samples were negative. Efforts to quarantine...

NVision develops ag product.(Strictly Business)(NVision Solutions Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 14, 2004... HANCOCK COUNTY -- NVision Solutions Inc. has created a tutorial for precision agriculture that it says will assist in educating and training America's future farmers. The tutorial, developed under a cooperative agreement with the University of...

AirCharter signs up casinos.(Strictly Business)(AirCharter Express Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 14, 2004... AirCharter Express Inc. of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has signed contracts to provide air charter services to several casinos in Mississippi and the Bahamas. AirCharter will provide services to a host of casinos in the state's main gambling areas...

FGH installs new tech.(Strictly Business)(Forrest General Hospital)(Brief Article)
June 14, 2004... HATTIESBURG -- Forrest General Hospital is installing ForHealth Technologies Inc.'s i.v. pharmacy robotic technology InterlliFill i.v. to place additional emphasis on patient safety and efficiency. Bill Oliver, Forrest General president,...

Cellular South customers using CDMA.(Strictly Business)(Brief Article)
June 14, 2004... JACKSON -- With the completion of its $38-million expansion of its CDMA 1XRTT network during the first quarter of 2004, Cellular South launched a new marketing campaign to encourage its customers to upgrade to the newer technology. According to...

Hancock augments merchant services.(Strictly Business)(Brief Article)
June 14, 2004... GULFPORT -- Hancock Bank has formed an alliance with Denver-based First Data Corporation, an electronic commerce and payments services company. The agreement establishes Hancock Merchant Services (HMS), under which First Data will provide all...

CompSouth asks PSC for ruling.(Strictly Business)(public service commissions)(Brief Article)
June 14, 2004... JACKSON -- CompSouth has petitioned public service commissions (PSCs) in the Southeast to issue an emergency ruling forcing BellSouth to honor its contractual obligations to other telephone companies. The states include Mississippi, Alabama,...

Innovation Index hits record.(Strictly Business)(Mississippi Technology Alliance)(Brief Article)
June 14, 2004... JACKSON -- The Mississippi Technology Alliance (MTA) has released the results of the third-annual Innovation Index, a report that presents Mississippi science and technology indicators. And this year's index has set a new record. MTA first...

ICDC elevates Farris.(Strictly Business)(Itawamba County Development Council named Carol Farris)(Brief Article)
June 14, 2004... FULTON -- After six months as interim executive director, Carol Farris has been named the leader of the Itawamba County Development Council (ICDC). The ICDC board of directors, as well as Port Itawamba, elected to name Farris as executive...

EnergyAxis for MissPower.(Strictly Business)(Mississippi Power Co. has installed Elster Electricity, LLC's EnergyAxis System)(Brief Article)
June 14, 2004... GULFPORT -- Mississippi Power Company, a subsidiary of Southern Company, has installed Elster Electricity, LLC's EnergyAxis System with intelligent two-way communications and controlled mesh network. As installed at Mississippi Power, Raleigh,...

Entergy Mississippi gives more to Energy Concern.(Strictly Business)(Brief Article)
June 14, 2004... JACKSON -- Entergy Mississippi is making an extra investment in its program designed to help keep low-income elderly customers cool in the summer--Energy Concern. Carolyn Shanks, president and CEO of Entergy Mississippi, said, "The rising...

Boudreaux's Butt Paste, MissLou Internet team up online.
June 14, 2004... NATCHEZ -- Authors dream of having their book profiled on Oprah Winfrey's TV talk show because it is a sure fire route to the bestseller list. But who would have guessed that an appearance on "Oprah!" by the founder of Boudreaux's Butt Paste...

Gulfport CPA firm launches investment portfolio review services.(Focus)( Alexander, Van Loon, Sloan, Levens and Favre, PLLC)
June 14, 2004... GULFPORT -- On a Saturday afternoon in July 1967, Wynn Alexander, a young CPA, was pondering the future of his fledgling accounting firm and wondering how he would support his wife and baby daughter. "The first three months I took in enough...

Reversal of fortune? Court overturns $48-million judgment.(Professionals: law & accounting)
June 14, 2004... On May 13, the Mississippi Supreme Court took a step toward curbing mass tort litigation in the state when it reversed a $48-million judgment against Janssen Pharmaceutica Inc. and Johnson & Johnson (J&J), and separately reafirmed a previous...

Montgomery & Daughter give traditional name a different twist.(Focus)
June 14, 2004... GULFPORT -- There's a lot to be said for the name of a business. For Montgomery & Daughter Inc., it represents a strong family tie and a break from the traditional father and son partnership. This firm's name also attests to the mutual...

'120 hour' proposal could mean a faster degree, less expense.(Professionals: law & accounting)
June 14, 2004... A new College Board proposal to limit bachelor's degree programs at Mississippi's institutions of higher learning to no more than 120 credit hours should not affect professional programs such as law or accounting, observers say. Changes would...

Attorneys remain concerned about profession's image: no longer a laughing matter despite never-ending stream of lawyer jokes.(Focus)
June 14, 2004... Okay, enough already with the lawyer jokes. There are jokes about all professions, but lawyers seem to have an over-abundance. However, they aren't laughing anymore and many of them are concerned with their image as a profession. ...