Mississippi has seen record economic development in recent years, and one group of counties is looking to keep the momentum going with the creation of a new alliance.
Economic and elected leaders from Lafayette, Tate, Panola, and Yalobusha counties recently agreed to work together to bring large-scale projects to their shared portion of north Mississippi. The partnership, currently being referred to as the Northwest Regional Alliance but with a new name in the works, was rubber-stamped by lawmakers during this year’s legislative session.
The passage of House Bill 1897, authored by Republican Rep. Trey Lamar of Tate County, enabled coordinated efforts between the four counties. It also provides a chance for existing laws surrounding economic development and taxes to potentially be amended if it means more major projects locating in the area.
Ryan Miller, president and chief executive officer of the Oxford-Lafayette County Economic Development Foundation, said the idea of the alliance is when the four counties combine their strengths to plan for and eventually land projects, each county and its residents will benefit.
“If we want to see larger projects in our neck of the woods, we’ve got to start now in preparing for that. A regional approach allows us to pool our assets together,” Miller said during an interview on Mornings with Richard Cross.
“Panola County has a lot of great, flat land. So much cost in the dirt work and infrastructure comes from topography. Tate County has some great parcels of land, and they have rail access which we don’t,” he continued. “[Lafayette County] has great access to highways and byways, but we don’t have certain assets that they do. Yalobusha County would say the same.”
Miller used the hypothetical example of a manufacturer deciding to locate to Panola County and bring with it 2,000 direct jobs. He said, with the other three counties working in tandem with Panola County to land the project, subsidiaries and suppliers of the company are more likely to locate indirect jobs throughout the alliance’s entire range.
“The benefit individually to the counties is that if a large-scale manufacturer moves into Panola County, usually with big companies like that, you’ve got tier one, two, and three suppliers that move with the mothership,” he said. “Hypothetically, that company comes to Panola, Yalobusha and Lafayette and Tate stand a real chance of landing some really good jobs. Not 2,000 but maybe 500.”
The alliance meets monthly and is working to use existing resources while creating new resources to make the area as business-friendly and shovel-ready as possible. This includes creating relationships with companies and ensuring infrastructure demands can be met.
Above-average school districts, easy access to Interstate 55, and being in close proximity to major city Memphis, Tennessee, will also be selling points in attracting companies and their employees.
“If you can speed up the time it takes to get a product or service into the marketplace, a company is going to start looking at you a little more intently,” Miller said. “And, if you’ve already got parcels of land with infrastructure in proximity to major interstates, highways, railways, and waterways, you’re in a much better position to land a company like that.”
Sought-after companies will range from automotive to medical device and every industry in between, according to Miller. He also believes with the University of Mississippi in Oxford being one of the state’s leading research institutions, the area has a chance to become a tech epicenter like Austin, Texas, and Huntsville, Ala., if an all-hands-on-deck approach continues to be taken.
