March 2014 - DeSoto County Economic Development Council

March 2014
B u i l d i ng f o r t h e F u t u r e
March 2014
The DeSoto Council’s mission is to facilitate, promote and provide effective, unified leadership for economic development and improved quality of life.
DCRUA to Receive $1.6 Million in Funds for Wastewater Projects
Inside this issue:
Desoto County Shows
Positive Growth in Jobs
2
Desoto Council Golf Tour- 3
nament Registration Form
Leadership Desoto Update 3
Pictured above: Desoto County Officials meet with U.S. Rep. Alan
Nunnelee during a recent trip to Washington.
Desoto County Regional Utility Authority officials have been able to secure a
total of $1.16 million in federal environmental infrastructure funds for ongoing
wastewater projects in Desoto County.
Desoto County will receive $1.16 million, and Mississippi will get $14 million
out of $44 million nationwide for infrastructure projects, largely due to the efforts of U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, Sen.
Roger Wicker, and U.S. Rep. Alan Nunnelee and Congressional staffers.
Desoto County Administrator Vanessa
Lynchard, says, "They went to bat over
the weekend for it," speaking of the district's U.S. Congressional delegation and
DCRUA officials. "The original draft
didn't contain it."
Bill Austin, the longtime executive director of the Desoto County Regional Utility
Authority has been making trips to
Washington with Desoto County officials
for 30 years. The trips to Washington are
made to cultivate relationships, present a
united front while promoting the County,
and make requests that would benefit the
county.
DCRUA got its start with earmarks back
when it was the norm in asking for them.
As a result, Austin says Desoto County
now has two wastewater treatment plants
and more than 50 miles of interceptor
lines to show for it, in addition to state-of
-the-art treatment and discharge of the
region's wastewater in an environmentally-friendly way.
Governmental Relations
Committee Update
4
Calendar of Events
7
New Members
7
Congratulations from the
Council
7
The DCRUA board will decide what to
do with the funds. One option includes
funding the installation of discharge lines
from the Short Fork Creek Wastewater
Treatment Plant to the Coldwater River.
Austin says another option would be to
spend part of the funds on "clean closures" of older wastewater treatment facilities such as the Twin Lakes, Lake
Forest and old Walls systems which were
taken offline when the newer system was
completed.
Austin says the $1.16 million will be
spent pretty quickly "with some change"
left over. The DCRUA board will decide
what course of action will be taken.
Page 2
March 2014
State Economist Praises Positive Job Growth in Desoto County
State economist Dr. Darrin Webb shared an
economic briefing for members of the House
Appropriations Committee in January.
The Appropriations Committee member Wanda Jennings, from Southaven, says the growth
in construction across Desoto County, which is
about twice as many building permits issued
during December 2013 compared to 2012.
job gains are in low-wage, such as retail and
temporary employment.
Webb projects slow, steady growth for this
year; an economic growth rate of 2.7 percent
compared to 1.9 percent for the 2013 calendar
While it appears Desoto County is growing
year. State revenue collections should exceed
more quickly in adding jobs, the rest of the
the growth rate predicted for the 2015 fiscal
state is not growing as quickly, and in places is year, which begins July 1. That gives legislators more money to spend on things like edulosing jobs..
cation and teacher pay raises.
Twenty-four of the 82 counties across the state
reported a net loss of jobs and 29 counties
Government has surpassed manufacturing as
Compared with the rest of the state, the Desoto recorded a gain of 150 jobs or less during that the state’s top job generator, growing from
County area has done well, and Webb stated
time. This means 29 counties are reporting a
200,000 jobs in 1990 to about 250,000 in
job growth of 150 or more. The majority of
that was true for most metro areas.
2013.
During the briefing, he shared that 2,605 jobs
were added in Desoto County between 2012
and 2013, and that was nearly 1,000 more than
the next highest job-gaining Mississippi County. That compares to 1.684 in Kemper County
and 1,477 new jobs in Hinds County. Tunica
County showed a loss of 175 jobs and Marshall County lost 49 jobs during the same time.
Southaven Company Shares Ties to Sochi Olympics
NIDEC is a $2 billion dollar company headquartered in Ferguson, Missouri, but has a
distribution facility in Southaven.
The company specializes in making giant
motors. The headquarters has 500 employees
and more than 10,000 employees worldwide
including the Southaven facility.
During the Sochi Olympics, this company,
with ties to Desoto County, helped keep snow
on the mountains of Sochi that reached temperatures in the 40’s, and also in Olympic
Village where temperatures reached 60 degrees.
John Stubbs, the Director of Operations, at
the Southaven facility says his office ships
motors just like the ones sent to Sochi, everyday.
NIDEC sent twenty-one vertical motors to
Sochi to help power snow making machines
to insure snow on the slopes, even in higher
than freezing temperatures.
For more information, about NIDEC, the
company website is www.nidec-ma. The
Southaven facility is located at 710 Venture
Drive, Suite 100.
Fourteen, 600 horsepower motors and seven,
300 horsepower motors were sent to power
the snow making machines by pumping 300
gallons of water per minute in making snow
for slopes.
Neyman Joins Sec. of State’s Office in Desoto County
Mary Phillips Neyman has joined the Secretary of State to run the North Mississippi
Office in Hernando.
In addition to her day-to-day responsibilities,
Neyman is working on getting the word out to
our communities about changes in Voter ID.
Neyman is working on educating voters that
in the June 3 primary, laws have changed, and
voters will be required to show a photo ID
when voting.
She worked for the Desoto County Economic
Development Council as a Program Manager
for more than a decade. “Mary Phillips’ previous experience with the Desoto County
Economic Development Council will make
for a smooth transition into her new position
with the Secretary of State’s Office,” says
Secretary Hosemann. The Secretary of State’s
Office in Desoto County is located in the
Desoto County Economic Development
Council building in Hernando.
Neyman is a graduate of the University of
Mississippi where she earned a Bachelor of
Arts in English and a Masters of Business
Administration.
Mary Phillips and her husband, Jody, reside
in Hernando, with their son Joseph, and
daughter Sara Frances. They attend Independent Presbyterian Church. Neyman can
be reached by email at
[email protected] and office
phone at 662.449.3362.
March 2014
Page 3
Desoto Council Golf Tournament Set for March 8.
Note: P.M. Tee Time Slots are almost full. Many A.M. Spots Remain.
Page 4
March 2014
Leadership Desoto Heads to Jackson and Visits New Hospital
Leadership Desoto went to Jackson in February for the Legislative Session. The class
enjoyed a tour of the Capitol building and
observed the House and Senate while in session.
They also met with Senator Chris Massey,
Senator David Parker, Representative Wanda
Jennings, Representative Forrest Hamilton,
Representative Gene Alday, Representative
Pat Nelson, and Representative Bill KinKade.
They also enjoyed a visit with Secretary of
State Delbert Hosemann in his office at the
the uninsured population in Desoto County
and about behavior health from Parkwood
Hospital officials. The 2013-2014 Leadership
Desoto Class will graduate in May.
Capitol Building.
In March, the class attended their Healthcare
Session held at Methodist Olive Branch Hospital. The Class heard from Methodist hospital officials, Baptist officials, and heard about
Leadership Desoto is a program of the Desoto
Economic Development Council. If you are
interested in being in or nominating someone
for the 2014-2015 class, or have questions
about the program, please contact Leadership
Desoto Coordinator, Lisa Biglane at
[email protected].
Pictured on left: 2014 Leadership Desoto
class poses at Capitol Building in Jackson with
Senators from Desoto County.
Pictured below: Representative Wanda Jennings
addresses the class during trip to Jackson.
Pictured on left: Members of Leadership Class
enjoy the tour of Methodist Olive Branch Hospital
during the Healthcare Session.
March 2014
Page 5
Governmental Relations Committee Promotes Desoto County
The Governmental Relations Committee host- development for Desoto County. This was the
ed an annual “Fried Pie Breakfast” in February 30th annual trip made by Desoto County offifor members of the legislature at the Mississip- cials.
pi State Capitol in Jackson.
Meetings were held with Mississippi U.S. SenIn March, members of the Governmental Rela- ators Roger Wicker and Thad Cochran. Meettions Committee, and other Desoto County
ings were also held with Congressman Alan
officials travelled to Washington DC to meet
Nunnelee.
with our elected Senators and Representatives
The Governmental Relations Committee has a
to talk about projects that concern economic
purpose of maintaining the county’s pro-
business climate and to promote cooperation
among business, government, and management
to promote the County.
Pictured below: Members of the Desoto
County delegation and Governmental Relations Committee are pictured in Washington
with U.S. Senator Thad Cochran.
Pictured left: Members of the Governmental Relations Committee and other
Desoto County officials serve fried pies and
visit with legislative officials, including
Representative Bill Kincade, at the Capitol
building in Jackson.
Page 6
March 2014
DeSoto Council 2014 Board of Directors:
Peggy Leigh - Bob Leigh and Associates
David Baytos - Methodist Olive Branch Hospital
Rick Gregory– University of MS Desoto Center
Alesia Hise - Newly Weds Foods Inc
Karla Wisinski– GE Wind and Power
John Stubbs - NIDEC Motor Corporation
Brian Walhood - BancorpSouth
Kevin Doddridge - Northcentral Electric Power
James Huffman - Baptist Memorial Hospital - DeSoto
Tom Bryant– Pickering Firm
Chuck Tomlinson– View, Inc.
Wayne Spell– Entergy
Emily Rygg - Bonne Terre Country Inn & Café
Billy Myers– Attorney
Shad Sims- Atmos Energy
Shawn Clayton– Renasant Bank
Brett Ray - Integrity Furniture Group
Louis Patron– Rite Hite Products Corp
Doug Freeze—NWCC Workforce
Raymond Hollins– Sarnova Medical LLC
Keith Schreiber - Fiskars Brands Inc
Shelby McCloud– ScanSource
George Ready - Attorney
Barry Bouchillon– State Farm Insurance
Carol Ramirez - Hart & Cooley
Jim Webster– StyleCraft Home Collection Inc.
Adam Kraft- Community Bank
Ken Purvis– Sycamore Bank
John Eaton– WIN Job Center
Randy Mathis– Triton Stone Group
DeSoto Council
Executive Committee:
Barry Bouchillon, Chairman
State Farm Insurance
DeSoto Council
Staff:
Jim Flanagan
President/CEO
Ready Law Firm
Deborah Morgan
Office Administrator
Education Foundation
Shawn Clayton, Treasurer
Cynthia Ramsey -Short
Administrative Assistant
George Ready, Vice Chairman
Renasant Bank
Alesia Hise, Secretary
Newly Weds Foods
Wayne Spell, Past Chairman
Entergy
Lisa Biglane
Leadership DeSoto
Quarterly Newsletter
Larry Jarrett
DeSoto Co Greenways
March 2014
Page 7
2014 Upcoming Calendar of Events:
Dates are subject to change.
March
5-7
Washington Briefing Committee
6
Leadership Desoto– Healthcare Session
11
Tax Advisory Committee
12
Government Relations Committee
18
Desoto County Greenways/ Parks Committee
20
Metro Industrial Park Lunch
20
Industrial Relations Committee
20
Leadership Desoto –Community Service Day
21
First Quarter Board of Directors’ Meeting
21
First Quarter Membership Luncheon
28
Council of Governments Committee
31
Chamber Directors’ Lunch
April
4
8
9
10
11
15
17
17
18
25
28
Executive Committee
Tax Advisory Committee
Government Relations Committee
Leadership Desoto –Local Government Session
Infrastructure Committee
Desoto County Greenways/ Parks Committee
Plant Managers’ Forum/Metro Industrial Park Lunch
Industrial Relations Committee
Holiday: Good Friday
Council of Governments Committee
Chamber Directors’ Lunch
Complete Calendar can be found on Council website.
Congratulations from the Council:
We congratulate Carmen Kyle on her new
job as the Executive Director of the
Southaven Chamber of Commerce.
Congratulations to Barry Bouchillon, serving
as the new Chairman of the Desoto Council
Executive Committee.
the first time for the device to be being used in
a Mississippi hospital and for the second time
in the Mid-South.
Congratulations to Peggy Linton selected as
the chairwoman of the Desoto Recreational
District Commission.
Congratulations to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Desoto in Southaven for making a medical
first in the state of Mississippi by installing
the Reveal Linq Insertable Cardiac Monitor
(ICM), made by Medtronic, near the heart of
63-year old David Gray of Byhalia. This is
Congratulations to Methodist Olive Branch
Hospital for delivering their first baby boy
and girl in February. The hospital opened in
August of 2013.
Welcome New Members:
Command Realty Group
DeSoto County Economic
Development Council
316 W. Commerce Street
Hernando, MS 38632
Phone: 662.429.4414
Fax: 662.429.0952
www.desotocounty.com
Newsletter is also online: www.desotocounty.com