Starkville Businesses Cropping up All Over the Place

STARKVILLE, MS – Courtesy of the Dispatch

Disc and That, a disc golf shop, will be opening on December 1st at 329 B University Drive. “Some of you know I have a passion for disc golf,” said owner Andy Hunt via a FaceBook post. “I’ve wanted to open a disc golf store since I started playing. That dream is coming to fruition.” The store will have yard games, toys, and disc golf supplies. The sport has become more and more popular over the past few years, and there are several courses spread throughout the GTR area, most of which are free to play!

In food news, Godfather’s Pizza is well on its way to opening up shop at 401 University Drive. They plan to be ready for business before the new year.

Jack’s Family Restaurant is in the midst of construction on their new location near Dirt Cheap on Louisville Street. No official word yet on when they plan to be open.

Finally, the former Spirit gas station with a McDonald’s inside is being converted to a standalone McD’s. It is located at 817 Hwy. 12. It is planned to be a fully-modernized store with ordering kiosks, ordering directly from tablets at the tables, and curbside delivery, in addition to the usual options.

Please click here for the original article: https://cdispatch.com/news/2021-11-11/mary-means-business-godfathers-in-starkville-aims-for-year-end-opening/

Triangle Crossing Shopping Center Under Construction in Starkville

STARKVILLE, MS – Courtesy of the Dispatch

Ground was officially broken at Triangle Crossing in Starkville not long ago. Construction is anticipated to be complete by next Fall, and will include vendors such as ALDI, Marshalls, Ulta Beauty Supply, Five Below, Rack Room Shoes, PetSmart, Sport Clips, and Aspen Dental. It is located at Highway 12 and Industrial Park Road, on the former site of Garan Manufacturing. It is expected to bring in 120 construction jobs to build it, and 200 or more jobs at the stores that will be coming upon completion.

“It is a great day for Starkville, Oktibbeha County and our surrounding communities,” developer Mark Castleberry of Castle Properties said. “It has taken many people to get to this day…“In previous groundbreakings, I’ve been proud to make the statement ‘Castle Properties brought $100 million of investments to Mississippi,’” he went on to say. “Later, I was able to say that Castle Properties brought $100 million to the Golden Triangle. Today, I can be proud to state that upon completion of the project, I brought $100 million of investments to Starkville.” He also credits Starkville city government for their invaluable assistance with obtaining funding for the project.

Mayor Lynn Spruill said that “Mr. Castleberry is looking to the future in ways that we all want him to do. . .He has invested in Starkville, and Starkville is our home and a place we are proud of. We are delighted to see people who believe Starkville is a great place to do business.”

Please click here for the original article: https://cdispatch.com/news/2021-10-22/construction-begins-at-triangle-crossing-shopping-center/

Students Get Entrepreneurship Training at EMCC

COLUMBUS, MS – Courtesy of WCBI

Flex Factor and EMCC recently concluded a program that allowed local 9th-grade students to work on proposals for their own business ideas, “Shark Week” style. The program also educated students about subjects such as networking and establishing a digital presence.

WCBI has more: https://www.wcbi.com/flex-factor-and-emcc-educates-students-on-a-career-path-to-advance-manufacturing-and-technology/

Sale of Historic Church Nearly In the Books

COLUMBUS, MS – Courtesy of the Dispatch

First Baptist Church of Columbus began work on its new, larger location on Bluecutt Road in 2009; their old location had been on the market for nearly that long, and is now under contract. It is hoped that the deal can be finalized early next year. The original structure has stood for nearly two hundred years. The complex, which takes up most of a city block, was originally listed for nearly $5 million, but the most recent asking price was shown as $450,000.

“It just went under contract today, so we’re still getting all our ducks in a row,” Joshua Holder, the buyer’s Realtor, said Monday. “The plans are for a multi-functional property that will include single-family housing, office and commercial space. We may keep the day care center open and use the sanctuary as a wedding venue. But at this point, we’re not too far into specifics. It’s such a large property. We’ll be talking to local contractors to come up with ideas about how we can best use the property.”

Among possibilities for the old property, a planned zoning change to Mixed-Use Residential permitting, are things such as single-family dwellings, small-scale office space, and a small number of high-end apartments. 

The church will have the option to lease out the Sanctuary for events: “That gives the church some flexibility as they transition to the new facilities on Bluecutt,” Royce Hudspeth of Rhett Real Estate said, representing the seller. “We know it’s going to be sad for some of our members to make the move, but everyone understands it is for the best.”

Please click here for the original article: https://cdispatch.com/news/2021-11-02/downtown-first-baptist-property-under-contract/

FedEx Ground Building New Facility Near Airport

Columbus, Mississippi – Courtesy of the GTR LINK

FedEx Ground is constructing a new facility as we speak in the Golden Triangle Regional Industrial Aerospace Park in Lowndes County. The site, which is NE of the GTR Airport, is in the site prep phase, and the plan is for it to come online in the fall of next year.

“We’ve seen an uptick in interest in our region for last-mile delivery and other logistics projects, so it is not a surprise that FedEx would want to increase their footprint in the Golden Triangle,” said Joe Max Higgins, CEO of the LINK. “We’re happy to continue our partnership with them and look forward to more opportunities for work for our community.”

FedEx says that the new location will replace a smaller extant facility in the area, and will provide both full-time and part-time jobs.

For company information, please contact Allie Addoms at [email protected] or 412-747-4277.
For local information, please contact Joe Max Higgins at [email protected] or 662-328-8369.

Please click here for the original article: https://gtrlink.org/news/article/227

Lighting Up the FORGE Once Again

COLUMBUS, MS – Courtesy of The Dispatch

This coming Wednesday, more than 1,000 area eighth-graders will participate in the FORGE Foundation’s “FORGE Your Path Career Expo” (Family Organizations Recruiting Great Employees) at EMCC’s Communiversity. At this returning event, nearly two dozen local companies that all offer construction-related services will introduce children to the kinds of work they do.

FORGE first appeared in 2018, and was the result of a number of local companies coming together in order to help to “…expose young people to opportunities and jobs in the construction industry,” said FORGE President Christee Holbrook, who also leads Graham Roofing in West Point. “No one else was doing it.” They implemented programs where they would offer vocational tech classes at area schools and a summer camp (Camp Amp) which offers children hands-on experience with a variety of professions within construction fields.

“We got a lot of great feedback from the schools and the kids,” Holbrook said. “We had to cancel the expo last year because of COVID, but the best feedback we received came this year when we announced we were going to have the career expo. Within 45 minutes of sending out the email announcing the expo, 95 percent of the spots were taken…“What we are trying to do in bringing these younger students to the career expo is to introduce them to construction jobs before they reach high school,” she went on to say. “When kids get to high school, it’s the time they begin to focus on a career path, either college or the trades.”

Please click here for the original article: https://cdispatch.com/news/2021-10-22/forge-career-expo-returns-wednesday/

Fine Dining at a Price that Won’t Break the Bank, and More!

GOLDEN TRIANGLE REGION, MS – Courtesy of the Dispatch

STARKVILLE

Magnolia Social will open its doors next Tuesday; they are located inside the historic Hotel Chester at 111 N. Jackson St.

Owners Ellen and William Roger share fifteen years of experience providing fine dining to their customers; their goal is to offer amazing food for a price that people can afford: “There’s something for everybody,” Ellen said. “We like to plate that way but it is not a fine dining price point. We have a lot of care in how we plate and garnish and we take a lot of care in it. …We’re just really excited to be here. Our staff has done a really great job. We’re real proud of them.”
Magnolia Social will be open Tuesday through Thursday 11 a.m.-9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m. By November, they will also open for Sunday brunch 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

COLUMBUS

Kid’s Cavern Clothing Company recently took over the old Rae’s Jewelry building at 110 Fifth St. S. Tues~Fri 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. and Sat 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Replays’ former location on 45 near Starbucks has been taken over by 45 Tobacco and Vape. Open daily 9 to 9.

WEST POINT

Cognition T’s, Scrubs & More opened up for business this past Friday at 5771 Hwy. 45 Alt. S. They offer a variety of clothing and equipment, along with personalization, monogramming, etc. Medical personnel and police will enjoy a 10% discount there through the end of the month. Mon~Sat 9 to 6.

Plum Creek Environmental is bringing fifty new jobs to the area along with a $3 million expansion. “We also intend to add new product lines in the near future,” Plum Creek Environmental President Jim Wamble said in a press release. “Our local partnership with East Mississippi Community College has been tremendous in supplying a steady stream of trained welders. We’re looking forward to long-term success in West Point, Mississippi.”

Please click here for the original article: https://cdispatch.com/news/2021-10-14/mary-means-business-magnolia-social-prepares-for-grand-opening-next-week/

Boy, Do We Have the Bargain (Hunt) For You!

GTR AREA, MS – Courtesy of the Dispatch

COLUMBUS, MS

Commercial Real Estate company Crexi has announced that the Bargain Hunt building, 2312 Hwy. 45, will officially go up for auction on November 1st of this year through the 3rd. The opening bid is listed at $400,000, and participants must pay a $10,000 deposit to register for the auction. The plan is for Bargain Hunt itself to remain open, just under new ownership once the time comes: “Columbus Centre is an opportunity zone, making the site eligible for preferential tax treatment,” the listing reads. “This offering includes Bargain Hunt (44,000 SF) with 5,600 SF available space. Bargain Hunt is a national credit tenant with six years of remaining term and an option to extend.”

Across the street from there just North of Gary’s Pawn and Gun, Fast Pace Health, a walk-in urgent care clinic, will open its doors this Saturday. They held a ribbon cutting today; tune into our page tomorrow for photos and details! This will be one of their 150+ locations throughout the South. Mon~Fri 8-8, Sat 8~6, Sun 1~5.

“We have built our name and reputation on our compassionate, reliable and affordable approach to health care with services that can be scarce in smaller communities,” said Fast Pace Health CEO Greg Steil in a press release. “Especially during a pandemic, patients need immediate solutions, and our safe and convenient Columbus clinic will offer treatment for a wide range of illnesses with walk-in urgent, primary and preventative health care services. We also offer scheduled services for behavioral health, telehealth, and occupational health care needs.”

STARKVILLE, MS

Pumpkin patch “The Farm,” located at 5733 Blackjack Road, will have its grand opening at 10 a.m. Oct. 9. Advance tickets are available via their Facebook page. Sat 10~7, Sun 1~5 until Halloween night.

“To see it finally coming to fruition is a great feeling,” Addie Mayfield (one of the owners) said. “We still have a lot of growing to do, so it’s a little intimidating to open our doors to the public, but Starkville is such an incredibly supportive community and we’re excited to bring something new to the area that we can continue to build and grow over time.”

Please click here for the original article: https://cdispatch.com/news/2021-09-30/mary-means-business-bargain-hunt-building-up-for-auction-in-november/

Photo credit: Crexi. An online auction is set for Nov 1-3 for the building on Highway 45 in Columbus that houses Bargain Hunt – The store will not close, as there are six years remaining on its lease

Workforce Development Becoming Better and Better

COLUMBUS, Miss. – Courtesy of WCBI

Macaulay Whitaker, COO of the GTR Development Link recently spoke about efforts to help citizens of Columbus and all of the GTR to train for better, higher-paying jobs: ” Those are efforts for consultants to see is [sic] a third-party verification for our community that we’ve developed the necessary partnerships and gone through the processes to strengthen our workforce pipelines,” she said.

She went on to say that “It does take things . . . like providing great opportunities so students and individuals can set their goals towards positions and careers here in the state. . . ” Looking at our labor force, the people that are actively participating, and the people that can participate, we are going to have to shift our focus in attracting people to the workforce. Whether it’s from out of state or in the state or just down the street,” said Whitaker.

She and others involved in our burgeoning Workforce Development efforts are focusing on helping to prepare locals for local jobs, which helps keep our businesses thriving, thus improving our economy and, in the end, benefiting all of us. And THAT’S Good for Business!

Please click here for the original article: https://www.wcbi.com/from-the-classroom-to-the-workforceskilled-laborers-are-vital-in-area-businesses/

MSU and other State Universities Stand Out Globally for Innovation

STARKVILLE, MS – Courtesy of msstate.edu

With the help of the state’s research universities, Mississippi has been recognized as having one of the top twenty global ecosystems for business startups. The 2021 Global Startup Ecosystem Report is lauding MSU, The MS Development Authority, Innovate Mississippi and the state’s university system as a whole.

“Mississippi is well-known for our work with companies in the advanced manufacturing, agriculture and automotive sectors, but we have so much more to offer, especially in emerging technologies,” said Laura Hipp, MSDA interim executive director. “Our focus on technology-intensive, knowledge-based economic development includes close partnerships with organizations across the state, including research universities, industry, nonprofit and private sector groups. Some of the areas we are focusing on include marine technology, renewable energy, information operations and biotechnology. These types of companies are especially important to Mississippi and would benefit greatly from locating here.”

MSU, in particular, was held forth as an exemplar for innovation and small business startups – a model for others to look to and emulate.

Please click here for the original article: https://www.msstate.edu/newsroom/article/2021/09/msu-contributes-mississippi-startup-ecosystem-through-entrepreneurship