In just the last week, the state of Mississippi has seen close to 1,000 new jobs thanks to Navistar Defense, General Atomics, and Vicksburg Forest Products.
“September has been really fun,” Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) Director John Rounsaville said on a recent episode of The Gallo Show. “Just to announce those three projects here in the first part of the month, that’s more than a thousand new jobs and about $260 million in capital investment.”
The economic growth that has come with the first 10 days of September couldn’t be categorized as unusual as Mississippi has surprisingly seen an overall uptick in economic growth throughout the calendar year thus far—even amid the coronavirus pandemic.
According to Rounsaville, MDA has helped create over $750 million in new capital investment since January. This time last year, that number stood at $580 million.
“So far, we’ve got about $750 million in new capital investment from recruiting new industries and supporting our existing industries with their expansions…and this is in a COVID environment.”
The recently-appointed director also made comment on the economic potential that comes along with the removal of the former state flag, which donned a Confederate battle emblem.
“I think it opens up a new dimension to marketing the state,” he explained. “I think the key point is you just didn’t know who was passing you up. There are certainly negative stereotypes about the state. Of course, once people come here and they learn about our great business climate or our trained workforce, they learn we’re just as good, if not better, than any of our other competitors in the southeast.”
Whether the flag change will help Mississippi grow economically or not, it seems as if the state is already off to a good start.
Currently, Mississippi sits at #8 out of all 50 states in economic growth potential.
