The Mississippi Business Journal articles from October 2004

The Mississippi Business Journal archives from October 2004

Restaurateurs back 1% tax for Convention Center.(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... Dan Blumenthal (left) and Jeff Good (right), owners of BRAVO! and Broad Street in Jackson, are showing their support of the proposed 1% sales tax increase for restaurants by donating 1% of their sales to the Capital City Convention Center...

Report card: educational progress in jeopardy: William Winter, Jack Reed advocate full funding of MAEP.(Mississippi Adequate Education Program)
October 4, 2004... State lawmakers must fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) as a top priority in the 2005 legislative session or Mississippi schoolchildren will suffer. That's the message former Gov. William Winter and Tupelo...

Busy downtown, growing industries in Collins, Covington County: Hot Coffee residents show National Geographic a good time.
October 4, 2004... COLLINS -- Things are happening in Covington County and Collins, the county seat. The area's most enthusiastic cheerleader and executive director of the County Chamber of Commerce, Marie Shoemake, talks excitedly about new tourism and industry...

Making the investment.(Perspective)
October 4, 2004... Education has been in the news and on the minds of many Mississippians the past few weeks. Advocates, educators, legislators and the governor have toured schools, hosted forums and advanced a range of ideas and agendas on public...

People management on agenda October 19th.(As I See It)
October 4, 2004... In just a few weeks, The CPI Group is presenting a one-day people management workshop at the Lake Terrace Convention Center in Hattiesburg. The Mississippi Business Journal is co-sponsoring this October 19th event. My interest in human...

Public education trumps party politics.(Great Expectations)
October 4, 2004... In 1964, the year I began my career in education, the Minimum Foundation Funding for Mississippi's public schools provided a beginning annual salary of $3,300 for teachers having a degree and class A certification. Many of our teachers...

Jackson Pulmonary Associates, PA.(People to Watch)
October 4, 2004... Jackson Pulmonary Associates, PA, is pleased to announce the association of Maria G. Rappai, MD. Rappai is a graduate of St. John's Medical College and performed her residency and fellowship at University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Environmental Management Services Inc.(People to Watch)(Kenneth Ruckstuhl appointed)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... Kenneth Ruckstuhl has joined Environmental Management Services as manager of the new Jackson office. Ruckstuhl was formerly with Alpha Services, LLC, and has more than 22 years of experience in environmental consulting, permitting and cleanup....

Neel-Schaffer Inc.(People to Watch)(appointments)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... Todd Gale has been promoted to office manager for the Columbus office of Neel-Schaffer Inc. Gale has worked in various offices throughout the company and has a wide range of engineering expertise. He is a graduate of Mississippi State...

Super Stop.(People to Watch)(appointments)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... Super Stop CEO Doug Deweese recently tapped Trey Messer of Jackson and Shannon Brown of Meridian as food service directors for the growing convenience store chain. Messer is a graduate of Millsaps College with a degree in business...

Mississippi Manufacturers Association.(People to Watch)(appointments)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... Foster Welburn, director of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association Workers' Compensation Group, has been named the first president of the newly formed Mississippi Workers' Compensation Group Self-Insurer Guaranty Association. Additional...

Mississippi State Hospital.(People to Watch)(Felicia Smith appointed)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... Felicia Smith of Jackson has joined Mississippi State Hospital's risk management division as an investigator. Smith earned her B.S. in criminal justice from Mississippi Valley State University and is currently pursuing a master's in criminal...

Baker Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell and Berkowitz.(People to Watch)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... Mark Parris, senior foreign policy advisor for the law firm Baker Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell and Berkowitz, recently returned from leading the first non-oil U.S. business delegation of 10 companies to Libya in more than 17 years. The four-day...

Hancock Bank.(People to Watch)(Henry Knue appointed)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... Ocean Springs banker Henry Knue has joined Hancock Bank as an assistant vice president and manager of the bank's main Ocean Springs office on Washington Avenue. Formerly an officer with a Biloxi-based bank, Knue brings more than eight years of...

Pitching in.(People to Watch)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... JBHM Architects recently assisted Habitat for Humanity in building a new home in Jackson. Pictured are JBHM employees Tom Taylor and Chad Spurlin. Thirteen staff members from the JBHM Jackson office assisted with wall, roof construction,...

National Bank of Commerce.(People to Watch)(promotions)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... L.F. Mallory Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of NBC, recently announced the following promotions: Aubrey Adair, senior vice president--accounting division and vice president/chief accounting officer--NBC Capital Corporation. Danny...

Horne CPA Group.(People to Watch)(appointments)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... Ann R. Cleland, CPA, of Home CPA Group's Jackson office was recently promoted to senior manager. Cleland joined the firm in 2003. Clayton R. Culpepper, CNE, was recently promoted to senior manager in Home's information technology services....

Mississippi Home Corporation (MHC).(People to Watch)(promotions)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... Katina Pace has been promoted to vice president of tax credits at MHC. Pace joined MHC in May 2000 as a tax credit processing specialists and has received several promotions. She previously worked for State Farm Insurance as a senior claim...

Maris, West & Baker.(People to Watch)(promotions)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... Randy Lynn and Marc Leffler have been promoted to group creative directors from their previous positions of associate creative directors at Maris, West & Baker (MWB). Lynn has been with MWB for five years. Prior to joining the firm, he served...

BancorpSouth.(People to Watch)(promotions)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... Michael Dale Booker has been promoted at BancorpSouth to president in Clinton. He has over 20 years of banking experience. A native of Shannon, Booker graduated from Mississippi State University with both Booker a bachelor's and master's degree...

Tupelo Chapter-Public Relations Association of Mississippi (PRAM).(People to Watch)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... Members of the Tupelo Chapter of PRAM were recently recognized for their work in the public relations field at the annual Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF) conference. Bobby King Associates won an Award of Excellence for the Tupelo...

SouthTrust Bank.(People to Watch)(George A. Gammon III appointed)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... SouthTrust Bank and Wachovia have named George A. Gammon III as the market president for the Jackson market. Gammon was SouthTrust's commercial banking manager in Jackson. He has been in the banking industry for more than 13 years and joined...

BankPlus.(People to Watch)(William Guion appointed)
October 4, 2004... BankPlus announces the employment of William Guion as vice president at the Strawberry Hill office in Madison. Guion, who has over 18 years of banking experience, previously served as vice president for BancorpSouth. He is a graduate of...

Sullivan Insurance.(People to Watch)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... David S. Sullivan, CSA, with Sullivan Insurance in Hernando, completed a comprehensive course by the Society of Certified Senior Advisors to earn the certified senior advisor (CSA) designation.

MACM board keeps rates steady for 2005.(Strictly Business)(Medical Assurance Company of Mississippi )(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... JACKSON -- According to Mississippi commissioner of insurance George Dale and the Medical Assurance Company of Mississippi (MACM), base rates for medical malpractice insurance premiums for insureds of MACM will stay the same in 2005. Approved...

Fitch cool on MCI.(Strictly Business)
October 4, 2004... Fitch Ratings has assigned an initial rating of "B" to MCI Inc.'s $5.665-billion outstanding of senior unsecured notes. The senior unsecured notes were issued in conjunction with MCI's emergence from bankruptcy April 20, 2004. The rating...

L-3 lands more Navy work.(Strictly Business)(L-3 Communications Vertex with Naval Air Systems Command )(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... MADISON -- The U.S. Navy has awarded a one-year, $47-million contract to L-3 Communications Vertex to provide contractor logistics support and operation of the Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department (AIMD) for the Naval Air Systems...

Storms impact Tenet's earnings.(Strictly Business)(Tenet Healthcare Corp.)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... BILOXI -- Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE: THC) has estimated the negative impact from recent hurricanes in the Southeast on its earnings per share in the third quarter ending September 30, 2004, is currently anticipated to be not more than...

Callon rig damaged.(Strictly Business)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... NATCHEZ -- Callon Petroleum Company (NYSE: CPE) (NYSE: CPE.PrA) has felt the impact of Hurricane Ivan on its major production facilities in the Gulf of Mexico. In Callon's Medusa Field, a platform work-over rig incurred damage that will...

DUA eligibility expanded.(Strictly Business)(Disaster Unemployment Assistance)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... ACROSS MISSISSIPPI -- Clarke, Greene and Lauderdale counties have been added to the eligible list for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) in the wake of Hurricane Ivan. This brings the number of eligible counties to nine. The other counties...

Momentum Mississippi team formed.(Strictly Business)
October 4, 2004... JACKSON -- Gov. Haley Barbour has made public the members of Momentum Mississippi at the group's first meeting. The new organization was created to help formulate a long-range economic development plan for the state. "I am proud of the...

Modern Technology buys Sound City.(Strictly Business)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... OXFORD -- Modern Technology Corp. has entered into a letter of intent to purchase the privately-held specialty audio-video consumer electronics retailer Sound City Inc., headquartered in Towaco, NJ. Under the terms of the agreement, Modern...

Trace repair begins.(Strictly Business)(Natchez Trace Parkway )(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... TISHOMINGO COUNTY -- Work has begun to repair a 50-foot section of the Natchez Trace Parkway in Northeast Mississippi that collapsed in late August due to rains and flooding. The section, located near Bay Springs Lake and Mississippi 4, is...

New WPSM in operation.(Strictly Business)(Women's Pavilion of South Mississippi)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... HATTIESBURG -- On September 28, 2004, Women's Pavilion of South Mississippi (WPSM) opened the doors to its new location on the third floor of the Wesley Medical Plaza. One office remains on the third floor of Wesley Tower B, as well. In...

McAlister's franchises growing.(Strictly Business)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... RIDGELAND -- McAlister's Dell has purchased the rights to develop 36 additional restaurants in Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas and North Carolina. The chain currently operates 141 locations in 17 states. "We are very pleased that these...

GTAP adds STARS.(Strictly Business)(Geospatial Technology Apprenticeship Program)(Spatial Technology and Remote Sensing)
October 4, 2004... RIDGELAND -- Digital Quest Inc.'s STARS Certification is now a key component to support the U.S. Department of Labor's pilot of the Geospatial Technology Apprenticeship Program (GTAP) at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM). "GTAP...

SBA providing disaster loans.(Strictly Business)(U.S. Small Business Administration)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... WASHINGTON -- With the disaster declaration issued by President George Bush, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is ready to assist with loans for repair of both homes and businesses. "As a result of President Bush's declaration of...

Kerioth building class A space.(Strictly Business)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... JACKSON -- Kerioth Corporation has broken ground on the 78,000-square-foot class A office building located at the intersection of Interstate 55 North and Meadowbrook Road in the Capital City. Kerioth Construction Inc. is the contractor on 1400...

Mississippi College Answer launches.(Strictly Business)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... Mississippi's premier online resource for college planning has a new name and new look. Mississippi Wiredscholar now is Mississippi College Answer, presented by USA Funds on the Web at http://www.mississippi.collegeanswer.com/. USA Funds...

NRF predicts strong holiday sales.(Strictly Business)(National Retail Federation )(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... WASHINGTON -- After strong growth in the first half of the year and more subdued growth in the third quarter, retailers are anticipating the arrival of the all-important holiday season, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). NRF is...

Hancock Fabrics expands board.(Strictly Business)(Wellford L. Sanders Jr. appointed)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... TUPELO -- The board of directors of Hancock Fabrics Inc. (NYSE: HKF) has voted to increase the size of the board to seven members and has appointed Wellford L. Sanders Jr. as a director of the corporation. Sanders, 59, has been a managing...

Clayton Williams drilling.(Strictly Business)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... NORTH MISSISSIPPI -- Clayton Williams Energy Inc., an independent energy company located in Midland, Texas, has released an update on its drilling operations in Mississippi. At Weyerhaeuser No. 1 in Webster County, Clayton Williams has...

Forest2Market offering new report.(Strictly Business)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... Forest2Market Inc. has added a new timber price report for Mississippi. The new report, titled "The Mississippi Timber Report," will replace the "Mississippi Timber Price Report" published bimonthly by the Mississippi State Extension Service....

PDBI enters state.(Strictly Business)(PacificDental Benefits Inc)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... PacificDental Benefits Inc. (PDBI) has expanded its territory into Mississippi, Louisiana and the Carolinas. As a result, PDBI has added 100,000 insured members and $30 million in insured premium revenues. "With this expansion, the company...

Ambassador John Palmer keynoting Hobnob Mississippi; October 26th networking event will convene rain or shine.(Hobnob Mississippi)
October 4, 2004... Nearly 800 people are expected to hobnob under the big top on the grounds of the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum in Jackson on Tuesday, October 26, at Mississippi Economic Council's (MEC) annual autumn networking event. ...

PRCC offering aerospace program.(Strickly Business)(Pearl River Community College)
October 4, 2004... POPLARVILLE -- SpaceTEC and RWD Technologies is supporting the continuing needs of the aerospace industry by offering the first online certification program designed to qualify and test individuals as certified aerospace technicians. SpaceTEC...

Ivan spares golf courses.(Strickly Business)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST -- The Mississippi Development Authority's Division of Tourism has completed its assessment of the damage to the state's golf courses caused by recent Hurricane Ivan. Based on extensive reports, golf course properties on...

Furniture conference slated.(Strickly Business)(Brief Article)
October 4, 2004... STARKVILLE -- The conference "Competitive Strategies for the Furniture Industry: Emerging Issues in a Global Environment" will be held November 10, 2004, at the Franklin Center for Manufacturing and Management, Forest and Wildlife Research...

Pearl River County plans to be 'twice green'; initiative blending economic development with preservation.(Real Estate)
October 4, 2004... Pearl River County has launched a "Growing Greener Initiative" with one of the nation's most famous experts in conservation planning, Randall Arendt. "His approach to development has been described as 'twice green' because it succeeds both...

CBL breaking ground on 196-acre shopping center in Southaven.(Real Estate)(Southaven Towne Center)
October 4, 2004... SOUTHAVEN -- CBL and Associates Properties Inc., the owner of the three enclosed regional malls in Mississippi, is holding an official ground-breaking October 20 for a 196-acre open-air shopping center to be located in the southeast quadrant of...

Stiff penalties result when lead-based paint forms incomplete; simple mistakes cause big (and expensive) problems.(Real Estate)
October 4, 2004... The Mississippi Association of Realtors (MAR) is warning its members to be particularly careful to dot every "i" and cross every "t" on the lead-based paint forms that are required for real estate agents to use to disclose to clients when...

Appraisal firm focused on being 'meaningful, credible, reliable'.(Real Estate)(Reliable Appraisal Services Inc.)
October 4, 2004... Clients of Jackson-based lEG Realty & Financial Services have found the company to be such a reliable provider of real estate appraisals that the company changed its name to reflect that attribute. On September 21, IEG formerly became known as...

Metrocenter-area businesses stay optimistic despite departure; coalition cleaning house to attract new faces.(Real Estate)
October 4, 2004... JACKSON -- The U.S. 80 corridor around Metrocenter, the state's largest enclosed shopping mall, is bustling with traffic and a positive business outlook, area business owners say. The recent announcement that Dillard's Department Store, one of...

Sweet muscadines fill lush vines in Clarke County; harvesting season reaps rewards for vineyard owner Charley Phillips.(Real Estate)
October 4, 2004... CLARKE COUNTY -- At daybreak, giant machines with blinking lights and fiberglass rods creep down manicured rows of lush vines, tickling cascading stems of ripe muscadines. As the fruit drops into conveyers and shoots into trailer bins, Charley...

Pearl developer eyes upscale residential project possibilities; Hall still committed to retail developments.(Real Estate)
October 4, 2004... PEARL -- Judy Hall of Riverwind Development is striking out in a new direction--turning her attention to residential real estate in building the upscale River Ridge subdivision on Pearson Road. The booming retail mecca of Riverwind,...

Commercial real estate firms.(Directory)
October 4, 2004... Commercial Real Estate Firms Company Name/Year Founded Web site Address E-mail Broker South GMAC Real www.brokersouthgmac.com Estate/1995 Pambeard@brokersouthgmac.com 3205 N. Frontage...

Businesses find charm and character in renovated old houses.(Real Estate)(Column)
October 4, 2004... Consider the plight of old houses. Once beautiful and well kept, some of them fall on hard times, are left vacant, are considered too expensive for renovation or their residential neighborhood evolves into a commercial area. Or perhaps all of...

Developers, owners, customers anticipate traffic improvements.(Real Estate)
October 4, 2004... HATTIESBURG -- Traffic that slows to a crawl, gridlock during rash hours, waiting what seems forever for a green light, as well as an outdated traffic signal system that tries to move efficiently the traffic flow of a steadily growing city with...

Company melds talents, expanding real estate portfolio; lifelong friends find profitable investments in Clinton, Jackson, Byram.(Real Estate)
October 4, 2004... In their spare time, George Raworth can be found at his Jackson home tinkering with antique cars--the most recent, a burgundy 1936 Ford Phaton--while Ron Harvel is usually on the golf course, working on his farm near Clinton or playing with his...

Appraisers adhere to national guidelines to find property value.(Real Estate)
October 4, 2004... GULFPORT -- Residential appraisers are more highly regulated than other sectors of real estate. Their work requires precise skills and attention to detail. They are often put on the spot with requests to assign a quick value to a piece of real...

Plans for Tradition development entering final stages.(Real Estate)
October 4, 2004... With 4,600 acres, developers say that Tradition will be the largest master plan community in Mississippi. Located in central Harrison County, north of Interstate 10 and the Biloxi and Gulfport city limits, the property abuts Desoto National...

Selling industrial: firm taps specialized niche market.(Real Estate)
October 4, 2004... When Trammell Crow, a national commercial real estate powerhouse, exited the Jackson market in 1992, Phillip Carpenter seized the opportunity to take over leasing and management duties of its two business parks by opening a commercial brokerage...

Hunting club investments stimulate state economy.(Outdoor Impact)(Column)
October 4, 2004... Readers of the Mississippi Business Journal will recognize the name Joe Jones as the humble publisher of this newspaper. What most readers probably don't know about Joe is that he is an avid outdoorsman. Actually, that is a gross...

Main Street Books pulls in customers at downtown location.(Business)
October 4, 2004... HATTIESBURG -- Main Street Books at the corner of Main and Buschman streets in downtown Hattiesburg will celebrate its second anniversary in November and has already outgrown its 2,000 square feet of space. That's a pleasant problem for an...

New book chronicles the rise of Stein Mart from the Delta.(One Writer's Perspective)(Biography)
October 4, 2004... One of the great rags-to-riches stories in the history of Mississippi business is being told for the first time in the new book "Stein Mart: An American Story of Roots, Family, and Building a Greater Dream." Published by the University of Tampa...

Shifting political landscape? Business, medical interests turn tort attention to races for Supreme Court.
October 11, 2004... In November, four of the nine state Supreme Court seats will be up for grabs, and the outcome could signal a shift in the political landscape. "This election is so important," said Jim Payne, the founder and former president, chairman and...

Hancock County Expo: microbrewed beer and space ships, too.(7th Annual Business & Industry Expo)
October 11, 2004... There were large and small companies among the 95 businesses exhibiting at the recent Hancock County Chamber's 7th Annual Business & Industry Expo, and they represented the county's wide diversity. Exhibit space was maxed out and at least 1,000...

Enjoy the State Fair.(Mississippi State Fair)(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... The Mississippi State Fair, which begins the first Wednesday in October every year, got underway in Jackson last week. The annual event seemed destined to be mired in controversy, protest and histrionics when a white supremacist announced...

Making a sound investment in workforce training.(As I See It)
October 11, 2004... In late September, I had the opportunity to address the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) in Jackson. Every fall, the JLBC begins work toward crafting the state budget for the upcoming fiscal year, and its members hear testimony from a...

Are advertisers--and buyers--stupid?(One Writer's Perspective)
October 11, 2004... A couple of years ago, a relative of mine was attending a college graduation ceremony when she noticed that there was a large number of marketing majors receiving diplomas. Asking a fellow attendee the reason, she was told, "Oh, it's the...

Cypress Pharmaceutical.(People to Watch)(Max Draughn awarded.)(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... Max Draughn, CEO of Cypress Pharmaceutical in Madison, has been named the 2004 Distinguished Entrepreneur by the College of Business and Economic Development at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM). Draughn is a 1984 graduate. In 1993,...

Hancock Bank.(People to Watch)(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... Emile Koury Jr. of Gulfport has been promoted to senior vice president. With 20 years in financial services, Koury is personal trust manager with Hancock's wealth management group in Gulfport. He worked as a teller at Hancock Bank while a...

Baptist Health Systems has won McKesson's 2004 Chairman's Achievement Award of $15,000 and a second VIP Award, $10,000, for a project in which antiquated paper processes in Baptist's Health Information Management (HIM) department were converted to a computerized system.(People to Watch)(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Baptist Health Systems has won McKesson's 2004 Chairman's Achievement Award of $15,000 and a second VIP Award, $10,000, for a project in which antiquated paper processes in Baptist's Health Information...

The Peoples Bank & Trust Company.(People to Watch)(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... The following employees of Tupelo-based Peoples Bank & Trust Company recently received promotions: Barbara Daniels, director of information technology, was elected senior vice president; John Letteri, deposit application manager, was promoted...

Jackson Oncology Associates.(People to Watch)(Baptist Cancer Services appoints Gerry Ann Houston.)(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... Gerry Ann Houston, MD, of Jackson Oncology Associates received a three-year appointment as cancer liaison physician for Baptist Cancer Services. The Cancer Liaison Physician Program is an integral part of the Commission on Cancer of the...

BankFirst.(People to Watch)(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... BankFirst Financial Services is pleased to announce that Pete Hodo III has been named president of the West Point Banking Center. Hodo is a native of West Point. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama, as well as the Louisiana State...

May & Company.(People to Watch)(awarded)(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... Alyssa B, Oliver, CPA, CVA, a partner at May & Company, recently attended the IRS Tax Forum in New Orleans. Oliver accepted recognition for May & Company as an Exemplary Oliver Electronic Return Originator (ERO) for the 2003 tax season. The...

Sir Speedy.(People to Watch)(James Washington awarded.)(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... James Washington, owner of the Sir Speedy center on North State Street in Jackson, was recently presented with the Century Club award at the Sir Speedy International Convention in Long Beach, Calif. This annual award recognizes Sir Speedy's top...

Ridgeland Tourism Commission.(People to Watch)(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... Jim Petersen has been hired as the manager of sports development and special events for the Ridgeland Tourism Commission. Petersen is one of the first graduates of the newly established Park and Recreation Management Program at the University...

Maris, West & Baker.(People to Watch)(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... Keith Fraser has been promoted to associate creative director from his previous position of senior art director at Maris, West & Baker (MWB). He joined MWB in March of 1999. Fraser graduated from Mississippi State University (MSU) in 1994 with...

Mississippi Economic Development Council.(People to Watch)(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... Jason Brookins was elected president-elect of the Mississippi Economic Development Council. Brookins is executive director of the Hinds County Economic Development District in Jackson.

Truth in Advertising.(People to Watch)(Better Business Bureau of Mississippi Inc and Jackson Advertising Federation have joined forces to help stop unethical advertising.)(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... The Better Business Bureau of Mississippi Inc. (BBB) and the Jackson Advertising Federation have joined forces to help stop unethical advertising. A local group of executives will review and monitor advertising using the Truth in Advertising...

Nextel Partners Inc.(People to Watch)(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... Nextel Partners Inc. announces the transfer of Jason LeClear to general manager of the Mississippi market, based in the Jackson office. He currently served as general manager for Nextel Partners, where he managed the direct sales force for the...

Heartland Building Products.(People to Watch)(Brief Article)
October 11, 2004... Heartland Building Products in Booneville has appointed W. Mitchell Johnson as vice president of sales. Johnson comes to Heartland from Dedicated Lumber Group in Mooresville, N.C., where he was sales director. He will be responsible for...