Mississippi legislators will meet at the state capitol at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday to discuss what Governor Tate Reeves called the “biggest economic development project in MS history.”
The special session comes at a short notice, with Reeves making the announcement Monday morning.
Reeves stated that the $2.5 billion project is expected to bring over 1,000 jobs with an average salary of $93,000 to the Golden Triangle, making it nearly double the previous largest corporate capital investment in state history.
“This is a huge deal,” Reeves stated during a Tuesday press conference. “When you have the opportunity to locate 1,000 jobs that pay almost six figures a year, it can be transformative for the entire area.”
The company, which Reeves declined to name, is aiming to procure approximately 2,000 acres of land in Lowndes County for its new facility. Reeves explained that although he is not legally allowed to say who the company is due to a nondisclosure agreement, he believes most legislators already have an idea of who it is.
“I think there are a lot of legislators who probably have a pretty good idea who the company is, but they will not hear the name of the company from me or from our administration,” Reeves said.
In total, Reeves anticipates the project will receive $155 million in direct contributions from the state, as well as $25 million for roads that will be built in and around the site.
“These conversations began less than four months ago,” Reeves said. “The company is obviously in a hurry and they’re in a hurry for good reason because the sooner they get started, the sooner they can get finished and they can get people employed and they can get their product being produced.”
Reeves added that the facility expects to be completely employed within the next four or five years.
