The Mississippi Business Journal articles from May 2004

The Mississippi Business Journal archives from May 2004

BankPlus scores first deal with Eli: three-year endorsement package includes TV, print and radio advertising.
May 3, 2004... BELZONI -- Each year, the first overall draft pick of the National Football League can expect not only a multimillion-dollar salary but equally lucrative endorsement opportunities, as well. However, when Eli Manning, former All-America...

Budget cuts worry MDOT, MRBA: industry fears repeat of last year's fund transfer.
May 3, 2004... Last Monday--April 26th--with the clock ticking before the regular legislative session ends, representatives from the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Mississippi Road Builders Association (MRBA) met at Dennery's...

Higher gas prices ripple out into state's economy.
May 3, 2004... The cost of gasoline continues to rise across the state, and with that rise comes an increase in the cost of doing business in Mississippi. Industry observers are mixed in their assessments of what the effects will be on the state's...

Community Development Foundation among nation's top 20.
May 3, 2004... TUPELO -- When Community Development Foundation (CDF) president David Rumbarger learned that Site Selection magazine had ranked the Northeast Mississippi city of 35,000 No. 19 in the top 100 small cities for new and expanded corporate...

Perception, reality hurting business in Magnolia State.(Perspective)
May 3, 2004... So it would seem that both the perception and the reality of the state's legal system continues to hurt the overall business climate here, as well as challenge the medical community and the care providers vital for the good health and well...

Mission statements can make a difference.(As I See It)
May 3, 2004... Most companies have mission statements. These are usually lofty sounding charges designed by senior management to point the direction for the company and inspire the troops. The problem with even well designed mission statements is they don't...

Veggie vehicles anyone? Fryer oil does it.(One Writer's Perspective)
May 3, 2004... Recently, I drove my new Volkswagen diesel Jetta around town for a week, traveled up to Hattiesburg, came back and drove around another week--without having to refuel. At 44 miles per gallon on the highway, I can get nearly 500 miles on one...

Boone Nswspapers Inc.(People to Watch)
May 3, 2004... Todd H. Carpenter, 34, has been named president and chief operating officer of Boone Newspapers Inc. of Tuscaloosa, Ala. He lives and will continue to work from Natchez, where he will continue as publisher of The Natchez Democrat and The...

River Oaks Health System.(People to Watch)
May 3, 2004... C. Ron Cannon, M.D., has been nominated as president-elect of the American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery, the world's largest organization representing specialists who treat the ear, nose, throat and related structures of the...

Stewart Sneed Hewes/ BancorpSouth Insurance.(People to Watch)
May 3, 2004... Belinda Wilkerson, commercial lines customer service representative with Stewart Sneed Hewes/BancorpSouth Insurance, has earned the Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation from the National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research....

Community Eldercare Services.(People to Watch)
May 3, 2004... Cecilia Derrington, a healthcare community relations professional with over a decade of experience, was recently named regional community relations director at Community Eldercare Services (CES), a nursing community management company based in...

Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center.(People to Watch)
May 3, 2004... Dr. Charlotte Tabereaux has been named the first executive director of the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center (MAEC) in Meridian. Tabereaux, currently director of federal programs for the Rankin County School District, will be...

BancorpSouth.(People to Watch)
May 3, 2004... Gid D. Stuckey has joined BancorpSouth as a mortgage loan officer in Olive Branch. Stuckey attended Jones Community College and University of Mississippi studying banking and finance. He is certified in point of sale/mortgage banking.

The Home Builders Association of Mississippi.(People to Watch)
May 3, 2004... The Home Builders Association of Mississippi (HBAM) has elected its state leadership for 2004, with Ricky Wilkinson of Ocean Springs serving as president. Wilkinson is vice president of Gulf Construction Company and has been in the construction...

Dixie Advertising Specialties Inc.(People to Watch)
May 3, 2004... Brenda Ferguson, MAS of Dixie Advertising Specialties Inc. in Jackson passed the certification examination administered by Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) to receive the Master Advertising Specialist (MAS) industry...

Mississippi Wildlife Federation.(People to Watch)
May 3, 2004... The Mississippi Wildlife Federation (MWF) has named Rep. Billy McCoy (D-Rienzi) the 2003 Conservation Legislator of the Year for his leadership in the passage and subsequent funding of the Land, Water and Timber Resources Act. MWF also credited...

State Bank & Trust Company.(People to Watch)
May 3, 2004... State Bank & Trust Company has named Samuel R. Sanders its city president in McComb. With a decade of banking experience, Sanders formerly served as vice president of Pike County National Bank in McComb. He is a graduate of McComb High School,...

WesterN SizzliN Steakhouse.(People to Watch)
May 3, 2004... Steve Crowe, general manager of the WesterN SizzliN Steakhouse in Waynesboro, was named Manager of the Year by the WesterN SizzliN Corp. He was selected based on his store's performance in sales, food and labor costs, customer service and...

Darlene Carey, program director of the Wound Healing Center at Delta Regional Medical Center, received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award from National Healing Corporation (NHC).(People to Watch)
May 3, 2004... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Darlene Carey, program director of the Wound Healing Center at Delta Regional Medical Center, received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award from National Healing Corporation (NHC). NHC CEO James E. Patrick (1)...

Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz.(People to Watch)
May 3, 2004... Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz announces the addition of J. Scott Newton to the firm's Jackson office. Newton, who was the 2003 Republican nominee for Mississippi attorney general, will be working from the Jackson and Washington...

Mississippi Firefighters Memorial Burn Center.(People to Watch)
May 3, 2004... A group of 34 staff members of the Mississippi Firefighters Memorial Burn Center in Greenville, a service of Delta Regional Medical Center, were awarded the "Angels Among Us" by The Delta Democrat Times, WXVT-TV and WIQQ radio. Recipients are...

NBC Capital Corporation.(People to Watch)
May 3, 2004... Dan R. Lee has joined the board of directors of NBC Capital Corp. and its subsidiary, National Bank of Commerce. A native of Corinth, Lee currently serves as chairman, president and CEO of Microtek Medical Holdings Inc. After earning an...

Mississippi State University (MSU).(People to Watch)
May 3, 2004... Nikolay M. Filipov, an assistant professor at the MSU's College of Veterinary Medicine, is the first Mississippi researcher to receive the $100,000 Early Career Award from the American Chemical Council. A graduate of the Higher Institute of...

Stirling Properties.(People to Watch)
May 3, 2004... The Mississippi Gulf Coast Association of Realtors recently awarded Tim Carlson with its highest honor--the Diamond Award. Carlson is a commercial broker associate with Stifling Properties. The association presents one Diamond Award per year to...

Hattiesburg Clinic.(People to Watch)
May 3, 2004... Kevin B. Clement, M.D., a primary care sports medicine physician at Hattiesburg Clinic, completed the American Board of Family Practice Sports Medicine examination. Clement received his medical degree from Louisiana State University in New...

Crop dusting has changed since 9/11 but still thriving in state.(Agribusiness/Timber)
May 3, 2004... Small, low-flying airplanes buzzing over fields and timber are a familiar and necessary cog in the wheels of agriculture and the timber industry. Sometimes their movements are as entertaining as stunt fliers. Their services, however, are...

State farmers' market set for opening June 2005.(Agribusiness/Timber)
May 3, 2004... Every year at the State Farmers' Market in Raleigh, N.C., shoppers shell out more than $60 million for locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables, plants, Christmas trees and crafts sold from the more than 35,000 spaces rented to growers. It is...

Ag in Mississippi saw record yields and profits in 2003.(Agribusiness/Timber)
May 3, 2004... The 2003 crop year will best be remembered as the year things turned around for agriculture in Mississippi. In the previous four to five years, prices were low and there were production problems caused by weather and pests. But in 2003,...

Spring weather raises concerns for agriculture.(Agribusiness/Timber)
May 3, 2004... March was the driest month on record for portions of Central and South Mississippi. Besides impacts to agriculture, the dry weather occurring at the same time there was a lot of winter freeze vegetation in the forests caused a large number of...

Private land revenue option at work in Mississippi.(Agribusiness/Timber)
May 3, 2004... An innate spirit of entrepreneurism is often the driving force behind many forward-thinking business people explore new creative avenues for reenue enhancement. One formula for making money has always been to simply find a niche market being...

Farm families growing cattle 'close to nature'.(Agribusiness/Timber)
May 3, 2004... Two cattle farm families in Mississippi have taken a different path, a "new old" idea. Leasa and Eddie Leggett of Purvis and Tatia and Robert McCaskill of Hickory (located 20 miles west of Meridian) are the owners of Amber Grassfed Beef. ...

Timber theft bill provides relief for state's landowners: investigators lacked the authority, tools to properly investigate thefts, says commissioner.(Agribusiness Timber)
May 3, 2004... The Legislature is doing what it can to provide relief for landowners who have been victims of timber theft, a common problem in the state that has resulted in the loss of money and/or land value. House Bill 1148, which has passed the House...

Forestry consultants.
May 3, 2004... Forestry Consultants Company Name/Year Founded Address Phone/Fax Forest Systems, 1998 P.O. Box 261, Decatur, (601) 635-5707/ MS 39327-0261 635-5830 John G. Guthrie...

Timber industry growth predicted to increase.(Agribusiness Timber)
May 3, 2004... JACKSON -- The Molpus Woodlands Group is one of only 12 companies of its kind in the country. Started in 1996, the company is a timberland investment management organization (TIMO) and is part of what's happening in the timber business,...

Laurel's Vic West named top KFC franchisee.
May 3, 2004... LAUREL -- Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) has more than 4,000 franchises in the United States, and Vic West was recently named the KFC top franchisee and honored with the People Encouraging Talent Excellence (PETE) award (named after Pete Harman,...

Mississippi Delta Technology Council has strong agenda.
May 3, 2004... CLEVELAND -- The newly formed Mississippi Delta Technology Council (MDTC) will sponsor its inaugural event--the first annual Delta Business and Technology Expo--from noon until 3 p.m. on May 7 at Siller's Coliseum on the campus of Delta State...

Barbour vows comprehensive tort reform in 2004: governor believes majority of House members support effort.
May 3, 2004... Gov. Haley Barbour is determined to see state lawmakers pass comprehensive tort reform this year so Mississippi can end lawsuit abuse. "I have proposed legislation that the Senate passed by more than a 2-1 majority, and I believe a...

Affordable healthcare on agenda for 'Cover the Uninsured Week': programs planned in communities around Mississippi.
May 3, 2004... Seventeen Mississippi cites are planning events for "Cover the Uninsured Week" May 10-16, as part of a nationwide program that will include more than 1,000 community activities such as health fairs, workshops for small business owners and...

Energy companies looking ahead at reliability issues.(Oil & Gas)
May 3, 2004... While much of the Northeast U.S., including New York City and parts of Canada, was blanketed in darkness Aug. 14, 2003, in a rolling electrical blackout that surprised more than 50 million people, Southerners basked in the comfort of reliable...

TVA launches megasite program focusing on automakers.(Oil & Gas)
May 3, 2004... There can be little doubt that the automobile manufacturing industry has found the South fertile ground for siting new plants. Automakers and their vendors have come calling in larger and larger numbers, and communities have obviously done a...

Mississippi Power CEO optimistic about economic development.(Energy & Utilities)
May 3, 2004... GULFPORT -- In January of this year Anthony Topazi became Mississippi Power Company's 10th president and chief executive officer. He says he's settling in and happy on the Gulf Coast. While it's the Birmingham native's first time to live in a...

Wells in state waters may produce up to $1 billion for education.(Oil & Gas)
May 3, 2004... A bill to take the oversight of oil and gas drilling in the state from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and place it under the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) passed both houses of the Legislature and at press time was...

Drilling raises concerns over environmental and tourism issues.(Energy & Utilities)
May 3, 2004... A bill now awaiting the governor's signature that will take the oversight for oil and gas drilling from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and place it under the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) was not favorably embraced in...

TVA's Glenn McCullough speaks out on energy.(Q&A)
May 3, 2004... In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed former Tupelo Mayor Glenn L. McCullough Jr., chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority, which serves 8.5 million customers. In 1999, President Bill Clinton had appointed him to the three-member...

Electric power associations.
May 3, 2004... Electric Power Associations Association Contact Year Incorporated Address Phone/FAX Web site Coast EPA Robert J. Occhi 1939 P.O. Box 2430,...

Carbon dioxide an often overlooked natural resource.(Energy & Utilities)
May 3, 2004... In Mississippi, when people think of natural resources, oil and gas come to mind. Few people are aware of another plentiful natural resource. "The state is blessed with carbon dioxide," according to Kerry Allen, Mississippi operations and...

Nissan North America granted NAFTA waiver.(Srictly Business)
May 3, 2004... CANTON -- Nissan North America has been granted regulatory exemption from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFFA) from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The waiver prevents a decrease in domestic production, protects jobs and...

MDA gets new existing business tool.(Srictly Business)
May 3, 2004... JACKSON -- The Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) now has a new tool--the Synchronist Business Information System (SBIS)--to aid in the expansion and retention of existing businesses. Gov. Haley Barbour unveiled the new product April 21....

Mississippi Chemical files reorganization plan.(Strictly Business)
May 3, 2004... YAZOO CITY -- Mississippi Chemical Corporation (OTCBB: MSPI.OB) has filed its joint plan of reorganization with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. The plan is subject to review and approval by certain creditors...

Triton staying busy.(Strictly Business)
May 3, 2004... LONG BEACH -- The month of April was a busy one at ATM manufacturer Triton, which has made a string of significant announcements. Triton recently introduced the RT2000, its first through-the-wall ATM designed specifically for retail...

Cal-Maine making public offering.(Strictly Business)
May 3, 2004... JACKSON -- Cal-Maine Foods Inc. (NASDAQ: CALM) has filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed public offering of five million shares of its common stock. This includes one million shares to be sold...

Louis Dreyfus buys terminal.(Strictly Business)
May 3, 2004... HATTIESBURG -- Subsidiaries of Houston, Texas-based Louis Dreyfus Energy Services, LP, have completed the acquisition of the Hattiesburg liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) terminal as well as the West Texas natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline system...

Hub City named finalist.(Strictly Business)
May 3, 2004... HATTIESBURG -- The City of Hattiesburg has received notification from the National Civic League that it has been chosen one of 30 All America City finalists. The All-America City Award is a community recognition award program founded more...

Southern Pines gets go-ahead.(Strictly Business)
May 3, 2004... GREEN COUNTY -- SGR Holdings, LLC, of Houston, Texas, through its wholly-owned subsidiary SG Resources Mississippi, LLC (SGRM), plans to proceed with the construction of the Southern Pines Energy Center, a new salt cavern natural gas storage...

The Peoples sets new record.(Strictly Business)
May 3, 2004... TUPELO -- The Peoples Holding Company (AMEX: PHC) has reported record results for the first quarter of 2004. Diluted earnings per share increased 5.56% to 57 cents for the quarter, compared to 54 cents for the first quarter of 2003. Net income...

Cingular rolls out 'Services'.(Strictly Business)
May 3, 2004... JACKSON -- Beginning this month, Cingular will offer customers throughout Mississippi a new service to assist its wireless customers in managing their personal account information. "Services" is designed for Cingular customers who want a...

Hancock County produces range of statewide leadership.
May 3, 2004... BAY ST. LOUIS -- There's a lot of statewide leadership currently coming out of Hancock County. Bay St. Louis Mayor Eddie Favre is president of the Mississippi Municipal League (MML). Hancock County Library System director Prima Plauche...

Greater Belhaven area poised for explosive growth: historic neighborhood district crucial link between downtown Jackson, Fondren District.
May 3, 2004... JACKSON -- It has been a mere five years since the establishment of the Greater Belhaven Neighborhood Foundation (GBNF), a nonprofit organization founded to promote the preservation, economic growth and beautification of the city's historic...

Fairview fight underscores challenges facing urban neighborhoods.
May 3, 2004... JACKSON -- On the surface, it sounds like a simple request: amend an ordinance to allow a reputable bed-and-breakfast establishment to operate an upscale, full-service restaurant. But the petition, made to the Jackson City Council by the...

Work underway on transformation of major Jackson artery: Fortification Street project seen as major revitalization tool for city's historic neighborhoods.
May 3, 2004... JACKSON -- Fifteen thousand vehicles a day travel down Fortification Street in Jackson, an exit off Interstate 55 that's just a few blocks from the Capital City's downtown district. What was once no more than a gravel road with a lake at...

White begins Riley work.(Strictly Business)
May 3, 2004... CLARKSDALE -- White Construction Company has begun the second phase of construction for Mississippi State University's (MSU's) Riley Education and Performing Arts Center in Meridian. The firm, Mississippi's third-largest building contractor as...

Ershigs wins TVA contract.(Strictly Business)
May 3, 2004... BILOXI -- Ershigs Inc., a fiberglass pipe manufacturer, has been awarded a $4-million project from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) for its Paradise, Ky., facility. The award is due in part to contacts made by the Harrison County...

First M&F repurchasing shares.(Strictly Business)
May 3, 2004... KOSCIUSKO -- The board of directors of First M&F Corporation has authorized the repurchase of up to 120,000 shares of the company's outstanding common stock beginning in May. The repurchase plan was authorized for a 12-month period...

Election committee formed.(Strictly Business)
May 3, 2004... JACKSON -- Appointments have been made to the Special Committee on Judicial Election Campaign Intervention. The committee is charged with looking into allegations of ethical misconduct that may arise in judicial elections this year. ...

UP introduces debit card.(Strictly Business)
May 3, 2004... MEMPHIS, TENN. -- Union Planters Bank (UP) is adding a new Platinum debit card to its product offering. It offers an exclusive package of benefits free with every UP checking account, and the new see-through design distinguishes itself as the...

Habitat home source: great deals, helping needy families: contractors, fire victims, do-it-yourselfers and bargain hunters all come looking for deals.(Construction Mississippi)
May 3, 2004... JACKSON -- How about getting great deals on home building supplies and furnishings, and knowing that your purchase also goes to support helping build homes for needy families? If that sounds good, check out the Habitat Home Source in...

Pinelake project ministry touches construction industry: facing growing pains, church leaders do the unthinkable.(Construction Mississippi)
May 3, 2004... FLOWOOD -- Build it and they will come. That was the philosophy behind the $18-million Pinelake Baptist Church campus project, which included the construction of a new church, Pinelake Christian School and Pinelake Student Activities...

Broad experience an asset for Dan Hensarling.(Q&A)
May 3, 2004... GULFPORT -- When Dan Hensarling was striving to establish his own Gulf Coast contracting firm, he turned to the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Mississippi for help. "After months of working with bonding companies, insurance...

ABC chairman intends to enhance group's political influence: William Hux focused on representing all 1,300 members.(Construction Mississippi)
May 3, 2004... JACKSON -- William Hux, president of Moses Electric Services in Jackson and 2004 chairman for Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of Mississippi, says the challenges for his company are the same for most of the rest of the industry...

Center for safety and health focused on compliance: advisors help companies create safer workplaces, avoid dangerous situations--and fines.(Construction Mississippi)
May 3, 2004... PEARL -- Companies in Mississippi that use the free, confidential services of the Mississippi State University Center for Safety and Health (CSH) are using their own tax dollars to improve safety and health--and maximize their return on...

Hopkins general contractors have grown with Gulfnort.(Construction Mississippi)
May 3, 2004... GULFPORT -- The history of the city of Gulfport and George P. Hopkins Inc. (GPH), a third-generation general contractor, are closely paralleled. When George P. Hopkins, his wife Daisy and sons George P. and Arvah St. Clair came here in 1903,...

Meridian, Lauderdale County paving programs sharply differ: but Mayor Smith has answers for the city's critics.(Construction Mississippi)
May 3, 2004... MERIDIAN -- Paving programs ought to be pretty much alike in this area. But there are some big differences in Meridian's plans and Lauderdale County's plans. And two of the differences have caused some controversy. One of the major...

Consortium eyeing future nuclear plant construction: last U.S. nuclear power plant was built 20 years ago.(Construction Mississippi)
May 3, 2004... In today's Age of Technology, 20 years is nearly the equivalent of an eon. Yet, that is how long it has been since a nuclear power plant was built in the U.S. Environmental concerns stoked by the accident at Three Mile island in the 1970s,...

New distribution center designed with eye on style.(Construction Mississippi)
May 3, 2004... CANTON -- Who says warehouses/distribution facilities cannot be aesthetically pleasing? Not Smart Logistics, which is having built a new distribution center in the Central Mississippi Industrial Park that will look--and function--like no other...

MCEF, community colleges offering apprenticeship training.(Construction Mississippi)
May 3, 2004... Through a partnership between the Mississippi Construction Education Foundation (MCEF) and four Mississippi community colleges, students studying electrical technology are getting extra bang for their tuition dollars. And the construction...

Little Tudor house on Pinehurst Street sees major renovation: project moves ahead restoring Eudora Welty's home for fans, scholars and students.(Construction Mississippi)
May 3, 2004... The little Tudor house at 1119 Pinehurst Street in Jackson continues to undergo restoration as architect Robert Parker Adams works with the Eudora Welty House Foundation to prepare the structure for opening to the public in 2005. Home to...

Hancock brothers bring ministry to business: TNT carpentry building on integrity, professionalism, craftsmanship.(Construction Mississippi)
May 3, 2004... NESBIT -- On one of the first jobs Thommy and Thad Hancock had as owners of TNT Carpentry, the brothers accidentally cut a cabinet with square corners for an antiquated curved-edge sink when they were replacing a countertop for a homeowner....

Camp's Cotton District pushing New Urbanism to new level: developer credits college students' enthusiasm for much of his success.(Construction Mississippi)
May 3, 2004... STARKVILLE -- Developer Dan Camp continues to take the Cotton District in diverse directions, adding a row of mixed-use buildings on the new Rue de La Grande Fromage. "We're going to target student entrepreneurship," said Camp. "We're...

Is Mississippi facing a bad termite season? Maybe ...(Construction Mississippi)
May 3, 2004... In early April, the National Pest Management Association released a statement on the upcoming termite swarming season in the South that could, and perhaps should, raise concerns for Mississippi building and home owners. The association said,...

Son of a builder, Rayburn never considered another career.(Q&A)
May 3, 2004... When homebuilder and developer James R. "Bobby" Rayburn, president of Rayburn & Associates in Jackson, was elected 2004 president of the 220,000-member National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), he brought to the table more than 33 years of...

Kossen grows from two to 70 since opening in 1976.(Construction Mississippi)
May 3, 2004... JACKSON -- Kossen Equipment opened its doors in 1976 with two employees. Now in 2004, the company that works exclusively in the Kohler engine generator business has more than 70 employees and has expanded with two branch offices in Alabama and...

Yates expansion in Atlanta gives higher profile: Philadelphia-based company a growing regional powerhouse.(Construction Mississippi)
May 3, 2004... The expansion of W.G. Yates and Sons Construction Company in Atlanta gives the company better access to clients and a higher profile in one of the most important construction markets in the Southeast. "We're very excited about the...

Trace visitors' center project a mix of old and new.(Construction Mississippi)
May 3, 2004... Harking back to early Mississippi settlements, Belinda Stewart designed the new Natchez Trace Visitors Center under construction in Clinton to mimic frontier-era buildings. The Eupora architect mixed traditional styles and new materials to...

U.S. Navy Seabees build and fight around the world.(Construction Mississippi)
May 3, 2004... GULFPORT -- The Seabees have been in Gulfport since 1942 when the military construction arm of the U.S. Navy was established. The first Seabees were civilian construction workers who enlisted in World War II to build for the Navy in the Pacific...