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New Process Steel Expansion Slated to Add Fifty Jobs

By Columbus, GTR LINK, Lowndes County BoS, Other Manufacturing, Steel Dynamics

New Process Steel Expansion Slated to Add Fifty Jobs

COLUMBUS – Courtesy of The Dispatch

Joe Max Higgins, left, and Harry Sanders

During a recent board meeting, Board of Supervisors President Harry Sanders confirmed that New Process Steel will start on its new expansion on the Steel Dynamics campus soon. Two loan resolutions were approved for the project on Monday – in addition to the approximately $1.7 million in grants and loans for the $7.5 million steel processing facility which were approved last month. In addition, it is expected that the project will require $750 thousand in Development Infrastructure Program grants from the Mississippi Development Authority for road improvements, and up to $1 million in a state loan to pay for a rail spur from the railway near the SDI campus.

“This just goes to show that Columbus is a good place for industry,” Sanders said. “It’s great that we can have some expansion from people who are already here. Most of the emphasis is on getting new people and new industry, but this is an older industry that’s been here and evidently they’re real happy with what’s here and they decided to expand their operation.”

The Board also discussed, and temporarily tabled, a proposal to hire former CLRA Executive Director as the county’s interim recreation manager. The matter will be taken up in their next regular meeting, once they are able to formulate a proper job description for the position.

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Sky Lake Breaking Ground on Second Starkville Subdivision

By Uncategorized
Courtesy of Starkville Daily News
STARKVILLE, MS

Sky Lake Construction, developers of the Bent Brook Ridge subdivision near Starkville High, have begun major work on their newest venture: a second subdivision on Academy Road.

Marketing Director Kate Millican said the construction crew began clearing the land a couple of weeks ago, and are now in the process of doing the dirt work. The new development is expected to add between 40 and 50 houses to the area, with 32 available floor plane on its website. They are open to new homebuyers now who wish to pick out and build the homes of their dreams now.

Millican said, “We built [Bent Brook Ridge] in Starkville, first, and we loved it … So, we thought, let’s go ahead and expand in Starkville . . . One of our favorite things to do is work with home buyers and find the right lot for them, the right floor plan, and let them choose cabinet color, flooring, paint, and some exterior details,” Millican continued. “That way, they can have exactly what they want and feel more at home.”

A ribbon cutting is being planned for the neighborhood potentially for the first week of May.

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New Partnership School in Starkville Closer to Becoming Reality

By Ole Miss, Starkville, Starkville/Oktibbeha CCSD

New Partnership School in Starkville Closer to Becoming Reality

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)

Plans for the partnership school between Mississippi State University and the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District (SOCSD) are moving further forward; a memorandum of understanding to receive state bond funds for the project was passed during Tuesday night’s school board meeting.

Once it’s up and running, the new middle school is expected to have about a thousand 6th and 7th graders enrolled. The intended location is near the intersection between George Perry Street and Highway 182, on the north end of MSU’s campus. The new school was first proposed as a way to help alleviate overcrowding at SOCSD schools.

“We’re really excited the final approval came through for the design just recently and we anticipate putting out the bid for the site preparation, the dirt work sometime in the month of April and we’ll break ground in the early summer,” said Dr. Devon Brenner, head of the curriculum, instruction and special education department at MSU. “Our vision is that in partnering with the university and the school district, we’ll be able to provide really powerful education for the students,” she said. “They’ll also have the opportunity to take their classes right here on a college campus, so they’ll get to know what college life is like and begin to imagine themselves attending college.”

The new partnership school has been in the works for three years now.

“One of the things we know is that middle school is a particularly challenging age range,” Brenner went on to say. “Sixth and seventh graders kind of set the tone for the rest of their high school careers and through graduation in those grades, and it’s an important great to provide really quality education in.”

The school is expected to be open in January of 2019.

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Starkville Farmers Market is Back

By Agribuisiness, Culture/Entertainment, Foodservice, GSDP, Recreation, Starkville

Starkville Farmers Market is Back

STARKVILLE – Courtesy of The Dispatch

Prather (courtesy starkville.org)

Starkville Community Market will be open this Tuesday from 4-6 p.m. at Fire Station No. 1 Park.

SCM manager and Greater Starkville Development Partnership special events coordinator Jennifer Prather reports that roughly eight to ten vendors are expected to sell early spring produce and other goods at the event; more growers and producers are expected to join when the market’s Saturday offerings begin May 6. “We’ve spoken to new vendors outside of Starkville about new offerings, like baked goods and goat’s cheese and milk. We’re looking to increase the variety,” she said.

The Market will be held at Fire Station No. 1’s greenspace, located at the intersection of Lampkin and Russell streets.

Prather went on to say, “We’re working with Starkville Utilities to help grow the capacity for electricity there. Many vendors require refrigeration for their products, so that’s a priority for us moving forward. We’re also working on a project to install new benches and garbage cans, and overall looking into other ways to better develop the area in a community friendly way . . . We’re really enjoying the location. The aesthetics make a huge difference because the area is friendly to vendors and shoppers.”

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Girl Scouts Honor GTR’s Finest at Women of Distinction Ceremony

By Golden Triangle, GTR LINK

Girl Scouts Honor GTR’s Finest at Women of Distinction Ceremony

GTR LINK’s Brenda Lathan and her fellow honorees (courtesy Columbus Lowndes CoC)

Girl Scouts Heart of the South held its Women of Distinction in the Golden Triangle Region this past Friday. The keynote speaker was Dr. Kate Borsig.

Among the honorees was The Golden Triangle’s own Brenda H. Lathan, Senior Vice President of Economic Development at the GTR LINK!

We here at Good for Business would like to congratulate Ms. Lathan and all of the honorees. Thank you for your selfless contribution to our communities!

For more photos and info, please click here.

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SDI Paint Facility in Columbus Now Open for Business

By Columbus, GTR LINK, Steel Dynamics

SDI Paint Facility in Columbus Now Open for Business

March 29, 2017
Courtesy of MississippiWorks.org
Having broken ground on the facility in January 2016, Steel Dynamics, Inc. has now officially opened their new paint facility in Columbus, Miss., bringing with it more than forty new jobs. The location was acquired from Severstal North America in 2014. Governor Phil Bryant was on hand for the grand opening ceremony:

“The opening of this new paint facility is a significant milestone for Steel Dynamics and the people of the Golden Triangle region, as it represents the company’s commitment to doing business in Lowndes County and creating jobs for the area’s workforce,” Governor Bryant said.

“The Paint Line project will improve the Columbus Flat Roll Division’s competitiveness and sustainability in our steel markets,” said Madhu Ranade, vice president and general manager of Steel Dynamics, Flat Roll Group, Columbus Division. “We’re grateful to the state of Mississippi, MDA, Lowndes County, TVA and ARC for their continued partnership as we expand in Columbus.”

The Mississippi Development Authority helped with infrastructure improvements, rail construction and workforce training. The Tennessee Valley Authority, Appalachian Regional Commission and the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors also provided assistance for the project.

“Sustainable growth in economic development is achievable in our state when all levels of government work together to create a business environment in which companies can achieve their goals,” said MDA Executive Director Glenn McCullough, Jr. “MDA congratulates SDI and our partners at the Golden Triangle Development LINK, Lowndes County, TVA, ARC and the Lowndes County Industrial Development Authority on this momentous occasion.”

The facility’s new paint line has an annual coating capacity of 250,000 tons.

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Owner of Waverly Mansion Has Passed On

By West Point

courtesy photo

CLAY COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) –

Robert Snow, the owner of the historic Waverley Mansion in Clay County passed away Sunday evening.

He and his family have spent decades restoring the the Antebellum home since purchasing it in 1962.

The home and the Snow Family have been awarded a number of honors for historic restoration and preservation.

Waverley is open for tours and is often a venue for weddings and other events.

Services for Snow are being handled by Calvert Funeral Home in West Point.

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Cotton on the Rise in Mississippi

By Agribuisiness, Business

Cotton on the Rise in Mississippi

Courtesy of the Mississippi Business Journal

courtesy photo

Buoyed  by a notable increase in cotton prices, agriculture experts are forecasting a significant rise in the amount of cotton production in the state.

“The outlook for the 2016-2017 crop is we are going to a fairly considerable increase in cotton acres,” said Larry Falconer, Ph.D., an extension professor with the Delta Research and Extension Center. “Cotton prices have rebounded. With cotton futures in mid-70s per pound range for the new crop, it looks like the margins for cotton production are much better than they have been in the past two or three years . . . Hopefully, it will continue to do hang in there at these levels or a little higher,” Falconer continued.

This follows several years of low prices for the crop; in 2015, there were 320,000 acres of cotton planted in Mississippi, a near-historic low. In 2016, cotton acres planted went up to 450,000 acres. Falconer says that, if predictions hold true, there may be as many as 700,000 acres on the high end this year, depending on conditions and the weather.

Brian Williams, Ph.D, assistant extension professor, Mississippi State University, spoke about an upcoming farm bill: “They are thinking about it already,” Williams said. “There is a lot of pressure, more than in past years, to get this farm bill through as early as they can. I think part of that is pure politics. When you look at the makeup of the Senate, especially, there are several Democrats from swing states who are up for re-election in 2018. From what I have heard, they would like to get the farm bill off of their plate before re-election.”

Williams said farm groups are also putting pressure on legislators to get it done as soon as they can just because of the low-price environment and the tight margins compared to where producers where with higher prices when the present farm bill was adopted. He said the sooner  a farm bill is adopted, the better producers will fare in getting more money into the commodity programs.

Agriculture is the number one industry in Mississippi with sales of about $6.2 billion a year and employment of about 30 percent of the workforce.

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West Point’s Old Waverly Golf Club to Host Major 2019 Women’s USGA Event

By Culture/Entertainment, Golden Triangle, Recreation, Uncategorized, West Point

West Point’s Old Waverly Golf Club to Host Major 2019 Women’s USGA Event

WEST POINT (WCBI) –

Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, Miss., will be the host site for the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. Scheduled for Aug. 5-11, this will be the third USGA championship contested at Old Waverly, which previously hosted the 1999 U.S. Women’s Open and the 2006 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur.

“The USGA is proud to bring one of our three oldest championships to Old Waverly in 2019,” said Stuart Francis, USGA Championship Committee chairman. “The U.S. Women’s Amateur attracts the world’s best female amateur players, and we are confident Old Waverly will provide a fair and comprehensive test that identifies a champion worthy of hoisting the historic Robert Cox Trophy.”

“It is an honor to host the 119th U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at Old Waverly,” said George Bryan, club founder. “We have a strong history of supporting competitive amateur golf, and we look forward to welcoming the best female amateurs in the game to our course and to the state of Mississippi in 2019.”

The 2017 Women’s Amateur will be conducted Aug. 7-13 at San Diego Country Club, in Chula Vista, Calif., and the 2018 championship will be held Aug. 6-12 at the Golf Club of Tennessee, in Kingston Springs, Tenn.

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Bargain Hunt, Vapezy Open; LA Shrimp Shack Shutters its Doors

By Business, Columbus, Foodservice, Retail

THE DISPATCH

In mid-February The Dispatch brought us the news that Bargain Hunt would be opening in Columbus in the former Southern Family Market location next to K-Mart. The store is now preparing for a grand opening to be held on March 17. Their new Columbus location is in addition to their existing one in Starkville, and more than sixty others nationwide.

The store’s hours will be 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sundays. It will bring 25 new jobs to the area.

Highway 45 gained another new attraction in the form of Vapezy, a premium e-liquid and supply store located at 1909-B Hwy. 45 N.  Billy and Andrea Ezell opened Vapezy in September of last year.  The couple are originally from Webster County, where they became friends through the medium of vaping, that is, the enjoyment of vapor-producing electronic cigarettes.

“We want to present a greater sense of community than other shops,” Ezell said regarding the store’s future. “That’s what the vape scene is really about.”

While currently operating out of the store’s front section, there are plans to add a lounge into the 1,800 square-foot building. The store carries eight different lines of e-liquid and plans to expand to carry numerous vaping devices, from starter to advanced level, alongside additional e-liquids.  Vapezy is open 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday.

Finally, the Louisiana Shrimp Shack quietly closed its doors on Feb. 21.  The Shrimp Shack originally opened Sept. 8, 2016, with Kenny Whitey, a fisherman from New Orleans, as owner. It was located at 1909-A Hwy. 45 N. and enjoyed much praise from locals for its fresh from the gulf seafood and “straight-outta-the-bayou” home-cooking.  Whitey said the travel to and from the shack was too much for the family to maintain.

http://cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=56789

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