Mississippi Prospects

Developing and building trust as a statement sounds pretty straightforward- but the reality is that in the workplace, and even at home, this can be a challenge. First you need to define what trust is, then armed with the tools to build it in your life, you are well on your way to building stronger personal and professional relationships.

Experience is often said to be the best teacher. For people who work in a field for several decades they rack up a lot of experience. Luckily, some of them are willing to share.

Like death and taxes, another inevitable facet of life is we all gotta eat and drink. As a matter of fact, food processing and production is a rapidly expanding and evolving sector across the country. There are some important steps communities can take ahead of pursing a food and beverage project to help them become more competitive. 

If you look across the country and the globe, successful communities have a lot in common, which includes being desirable places to live. But what qualities help make these places a big draw for both emerging and established workers? Kim Moore is going to better help us define some of these qualities of successful communities.  

To incentivize or not to incentivize… the great question of economic developers across the country for many years. Obviously, it wasn’t Shakespeare who posed the question but today, incentives are in the mix of almost every job creation project. Luckily, there are experts like Bob Westover who can help companies and development officials make the most of both statutory and discretionary incentive opportunities.

Navigating business practices of foreign companies can be a challenge for even the most experienced economic developer. Whether it is foreign regulations or cultural differences, Florian Stamm is here to better help us navigate the important world of foreign direct investment.

When local economic developers work with their corporate partners on new sites or expansions- the most successful projects worked months, even years to develop a pre-capital plan making the business case before the first bucket of dirt was moved.

Dr. Nashlie Sephus is part of the Amazon AI team focusing on fairness in AI. Dr. Sephus formerly led the Amazon visual search and AR team which launched Part Finder. Previously, her team was acquired from Atlanta base start-up, ParkPick, where she served as the companies CTO. Find out more about this Jackson, Mississippi native’s vision of growth for her home state.

Best selling author, attorney, and speaker, Kwame Christian, is the director of the American Negotiation Institute and a respected voice in the field of negotiation and conflict resolution. Christian has conducted workshops throughout North American and abroad. Host of the world’s most popular negotiation podcast, Negotiate Anything, Kwame is dedicated to empowering professionals through the art and science of negotiation and persuasion. Listen now to level up your negotiation skills.

Kyle Sexton is an award-winning marketing strategist, international speaker and the author on topics about membership development, marketing and innovation. He was recognized in 2011 by Chamber Executive Magazine as one of the most influential innovators in the chamber of commerce industry. He has been marketing and selling memberships since 1996. Listen now to learn more about Kyle’s mindset for growth.

Ryan Miller serves as the Executive Director for Accelerate Mississippi, formerly the Office of Workforce Development for the state of Mississippi. The office was created by law in 2020 to oversee and coordinate state workforce development efforts. The office is focused on being a resource and advocate for partners that believe in Mississippi’s people and want to see more opportunities for high paying careers. Find out more about Miller’s plans to accelerate workforce efforts in Mississippi.

Former Dotcom executive and author Seth Godin said, “In a crowded marketplace, fitting in is failure. In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible. Business and economic development leaders often look at successful communities and they try to emulate what that community did to become successful, instead of looking for ways to differentiate themselves from their neighbors. Here to talk about how to differentiate your community through storytelling is Tyler Raborn, CEO of full-service marketing firm Raborn Media LLC. At Raborn Media, Tyler has married creativity with cost efficiency to produce a return-on-investment centered culture. Through creative storytelling, he has helped a variety of organizations achieve their goals. Join us to learn more!

Chances are if you’ve been involved in economic development and corporate recruitment during the last few years, you’ve heard discussions about opportunity zone funds or new market tax credits. Both of these programs are focused on investment and development in low-income communities across the country. While these programs may have similar goals, knowing which program may be the best option for you or your client often takes the guidance of an expert. Joining us in this episode is Certified Public Accountant Kathy Gelston, who is a financial analyst with VisionFirst Advisors. Kathy has nearly 30 years of executive-level, public sector experience, previously serving as the associate vice president of corporate engagement and economic development at Mississippi State University, and as chief financial officer for the Mississippi Development Authority, the state’s lead community and economic development agency. Join us to learn more!

This quote was taken straight from a presentation by this episode’s special guest: “If you want to think like a futurist, stop marveling at What’s New and begin to think about What’s Next.” Here to talk about trends which are sure to affect Mississippi and our future in the next decade is Ted Abernathy. Ted is the managing partner of Economic Leadership LLC, a consultancy currently working in more than a dozen states to develop economic and workforce strategies. Ted has 35 years of experience in directing economic development and workforce development programs. Join us to learn more about trendspotting lifestyle and business trends with Mr. Abernathy.

When you hear the term influencer, it often conjures up the image of a young person on social media traveling through exotic and interesting places. Or, eating some delicious food photographed perfectly. However, our next guest is helping bring the term influencer back to its roots, meaning someone with the ability to inspire and guide the actions of others. With more than 20 years of experience in business, seven as a consultant, Cause Collaboration’s Erin Meadows has carefully watched and studied what makes organizations and the people in them succeed—and what makes them struggle—concluding that most successful organizations keep four key aspects in alignment: 1) Thoughtful strategy, 2) Clear, honest, effective communication, 3) intentional team-building, and 4) accountable leadership. With these four things in alignment, Erin believes any organization can succeed. Join us to learn more!

Special Guests: Danielle Winningham, Chief Operating Officer for the Madison County Economic Development Authority and Jan Collins, Executive Director of the Madison County Business League & Foundation Description: Workforce development is a top driver of site location decisions made by most companies today. During the recruitment process, economic development officials will be asked a couple of key questions: First, do you have the workforce to get the job done, and second, do you have a sustainable workforce development model to provide the talent pipeline? Madison County, Mississippi has embraced these challenges with their award-winning workforce development initiatives, which take a multi-pronged approach, incorporating educational partners in the private sector. Join us to learn more!

Special Guest: Will Coppage, Executive Director for the Washington County Economic Alliance Description: Anyone who's spent time in Mississippi knows the state boasts many distinct regions, from the Gulf Coast to the Pine Belt, or even the Hills Region. But no other region evokes the vivid imagery of Mississippi more so than the Delta, best known for cotton and the state's most renowned export, The Blues. Once the heart of the state's agriculture-based economy, the Delta today is home to some of our state's most impoverished communities. Not willing to let this narrative persist, the Washington County Economic Alliance and several key partners have developed an innovative program for at-risk young people to provide them with access to educational and workforce training. Join us to learn more!

Special Guest: Lindsay Ward, Economic Development Manager of the Workforce Development Division for the Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District Description: When you hear people talking about economic development, what they're often speaking of is industrial development, which is only one piece of the true economic development pie. Another important piece of this pie is community and commercial development. Think of it as diversifying your investment portfolio. Joining us to talk about her award-winning commercial redevelopment program is Lindsay Ward, with the Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District, where she is the economic development manager for the Workforce Development Division. Join us to learn more!

Special Guest: Andre’ Kennebrew, Leadership Development Project Lead & Talent Acquisition Senior Manager, Chick-fil-A Corporate Description: Just as important as having a great site to attract a new company or helping an existing business expand is having the talent to get the job done. Talent attraction and retention continues to be a top factor in corporate site selection. Andre’ Kennebrew is well known for his unique ability to recruit, develop and retain top talent for Chick-fil-A. Andre’ serves up his process for recruiting and maintaining a productive and enthusiastic workforce.

Special Guest: Deborah Mcgill-Smith, Vice-President - Industrial Brokerage & Consulting, Cushman & Wakefield | EGS Description: You’ve heard the saying many times before, “the most important thing in real estate is location, location, location!” Even though more commerce is being conducted electronically, location and location strategy still are important factors for any company. And for the local economic developer how you present this location option can be the difference between winning or losing a project. Deborah McGill-Smith shares her insight on effective site marketing.