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Cleveland / Bolivar county

Working together, civic and business leaders help make Cleveland great

City is a Delta hub for commerce, industry, and tourism

BY Mark Bird
DBJ Contributing Writer

If a positive outlook, a spirit of teamwork, and a clear sense of its resources and how to use them to the best advantage are enough to beat the Delta doldrums, then Cleveland will do just fine. While not immune to the sluggish industrial development and general economic concerns that are all too common in the region, Cleveland continues to grow. New businesses are opening around the county, existing firms are reporting a certain level of expansion and job growth, and the city’s downtown district is vibrant and attractive. More and more, Cleveland is solidifying its identity as a Delta hub for industry, commerce, entertainment and tourism. In speaking with civic and business leaders, a shared attitude that good things are happening becomes apparent.

“Downtown Cleveland is a big part of our focus,” says Mayor Martin King. “Team Cleveland does a good job of keeping our downtown buildings filled, and we support their efforts by doing things which enhance the downtown area.” One such project is the development of a walking trail, with period lighting, along old railroad property purchased by the city.

“Adjacent to the trail is the old depot,” King continues. “We’ve enlarged it and converted it into a literacy training center. Although the size of the building has tripled, it still retains the look and the charm of the old depot.”

Chief Administrative Officer Wayne Cole highlights another part of Cleveland’s plans for the downtown district. “We have a vacant five-story, 20,000 square foot hotel building, which was built in 1926 and which was purchased by the city several years ago,” he says. “Our goal is to get private developers to come in and do something with the hotel, but something that would enhance downtown and become a real focal point.”

There are also tentative plans for sidewalk replacement throughout a large part of the downtown district, Cole adds.

As for industrial development, Mayor King says the pace is slow, but emphasizes that the city is working closely with its existing businesses. “We’re doing what we can to enable them to expand and add jobs,” he comments. “This would be just as good for Cleveland as new business. And I’m glad to say that several of our local companies seem to be doing very well.”

In Bolivar County’s second county seat, Rosedale Mayor Andrew Williams also reports numerous projects underway, including street and sewer projects, and the addition of new sewer lines in recently-annexed areas.
“Our Main Street project is really sprucing up the downtown district,” Williams says. “We’ve put in a gazebo and fountain, we’re replacing a lot of the sidewalks, and adding New Orleans-style light posts. Also, we’re working with other small communities to make western Bolivar County as attractive as the eastern portion.”

Even in tough economic times, Williams says Rosedale is holding its own. He reports that some local industries are hiring additional employees and expanding their work schedules again, and that an empty plant owned by the city has generated some interest for possible new uses.

“The main thing to point out is that in Rosedale, our citizens are all working together in harmony, and things are looking up,” Williams says.

Says Scott Luth of the Cleveland/Bolivar County Chamber of Commerce, “We are seeing some indications of new industrial growth, such as an increase in inquiries. There’s more activity than in the past two years.”
Commercial development is on the upswing in the Cleveland area, he reports. Among the new buildings under construction is a new Planters Bank facility. Growth in the commercial sector is extending to the edge of town and beyond.

The retail sector may be seeing the highest level of activity. “Cleveland is becoming more and more a shopping and dining hub,” Luth comments. “A number of new restaurants have opened-one of them, The Warehouse, took an old lumber store and converted it into an antique mall/art gallery/restaurant. A local coffee shop, The Bean Counter, was recently featured in a television feature about great coffeehouses.”

Tourism is both another major focus of Chamber efforts and a growing part of the Cleveland area economy. “The blues and the overall Delta cultural heritage is a big attraction,” says Luth. “Interestingly, with blues music tourism, most of our traffic is international. We’re proud to report that we are now included on an international firm’s bus tour on their New Orleans to Memphis route.”

Adds Cheryl Line, the Chamber’s Tourism Director, “Cleveland is a good home base for visits to the entire Delta area. We promote Cleveland as the best seat in the house to experience the Delta. Blues music really brings in Europeans, who often seem to know as much or more about the Highway 61 blues route and its history as the locals do.”

Clark Jewelry is both a unique retailer that draws customers from the entire Delta area, and one which is helping to create an attractive retail district. Steve and Sheila Clark purchased an established business (founded in 1917) a decade ago, and moved last year into a historic building which they restored. The design and renovations have, in fact, won awards, says Sheila Clark.

“It’s been wonderful for us, with a lot more space,” she says. “And one reason we felt comfortable in investing in this building is that Cleveland is one of the few towns with so many loyal and supportive customers. We also get a lot of business from out-of-towners.

“Cleveland is indeed becoming a Delta shopping hub. There’s a lot of traffic to Cleveland because we do have many great, unique stores,” she adds.

Clark Jewelry offers antique, estate, and reproduction jewelry, as well as antiques, home furnishings, all major lines of china, and perhaps the state’s largest selection of silver hollowware.

“I think Cleveland is the best town in the Delta today,” says Ed Kossman of Kossman’s, Inc. “One of the main reasons is the people–you see more volunteerism here than in probably any other Mississippi community, or perhaps the whole South.

“People in Cleveland volunteer to make things better for the community, without thinking about how they will personally prosper from it–so everyone benefits.

“There’s a good business climate here,” he comments. “Main Street is nearly completely filled. There are a couple of large vacant buildings, but these are the result of retirements, not businesses going under.”
Kossman reports two good years in a row at his full-line GMC dealership. The continuing availability of zero-percent financing, as well as high-potential new products, are helping to generate business from all around the Cleveland area, he says, adding, “One of my greatest pleasures is being in business with my son, who runs our Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep operation.”

Gresham Petroleum, distributor of petroleum products and owner of Double Quick convenience stores, is looking to have a good year, says Judson Thigpen, III. “A lot of business is related to agriculture, and the farmers need to have a good year, “ he comments. “They’re having to watch expenses, but that’s like everyone in business these days.”

The benefits of Delta State University, strong industry, plus the efforts of the Chamber and other groups to attract people to the area are factors in the city’s forward momentum, says Thigpen. “We have a downtown that is very well maintained, and a lot of people come to town for various events. Plus, our retailers have been successful in finding good niches to help them survive.”

At Roy Collins Construction, Roy Collins says he is seeing increased activity in many types of construction. “A lot of our work is government-related, and they seem to be spending more again,” he comments. Among his firm’s projects are a new high school in Greenville, a business development facility for Leflore County in Itta Bena, and a pumping station in Cleveland.

Like many construction firms, however, Collins says they are doing a lot of work outside the Delta area. “The flip side of that,” he adds, “is that firms from other areas where work is slow are coming after our local projects as well.”

Henry Mosco of Mosco Land and Realty says new home construction is fairly strong, and commercial construction seems to be picking up. The availability of more residential lots, plus the high cost of older homes, are helping trigger the increase in home construction, he points out.

“On the commercial side, we’re looking at several possible new developments, and there are some new retail outlets under construction,” Mosco says. “We’re developing some commercial properties north of Cleveland all the way to Merigold, and we’re getting more inquiries about that area.”

Ned Mitchell, with Bolivar Insurance Agency, agrees that Cleveland remains vibrant, with a strong downtown district. The insurance market, however, is problematic. “A lot of the regional and national insurers have really cut back on the availability of their products in Mississippi, and a major problem is having enough companies willing to write homeowners’ insurance,” he comments.

“There’s also the challenge of educating the national companies about the state’s progress in tort reform,” he adds. “One of the things we are doing is forming a task force, representing the large agencies, and going directly to the insurance companies’ headquarters.”

At Baxter Health Care, new plant manager Mark Jackson reports while no major physical expansions are currently planned, two new product lines are being added, making new and more effective use of existing space. “We’re also installing some new equipment, and will be adding some employees,” he says.

One big result of this product line expansion may be the widening of an adjoining road which is a primary access to the plant’s shipping entrance. “We run some 2,100 trucks a month through there, and that could well increase with the new product lines,” Jackson explains. “We see the road project as a win/win situation for Baxter and for Cleveland, since this is a heavily traveled road that a lot of people also use for access to residential areas. We hope it will happen.”

While agreeing that legislative and civic efforts to attract new business to the Cleveland area should continue, Jackson comments that he is pleased with the city’s strong focus on support of its existing industries.
In the banking industry, the biggest challenge is managing the interest rate spread, says Cleveland Bank’s Calvin Dye, who also reports that business is slow for their retail customers. “Consumer default seems to be up a little bit, and consumer debt load is high right now,” he comments.

“One bright spot is certainly home mortgages, due to the historically low interest rates. The rates are also triggering some real estate development.”

“We’re very excited about our new branch building,” says Mark Hargett with Planters Bank. “It will be much bigger than our current facility, and is located right on Highway 61, just north of the intersection with Highway 8. This is a high traffic area which will give us a lot of visibility and exposure.”

The new facility will offer three drive-up tellers, equipped with two-way video systems, as well as a drive-up ATM, and greatly increased parking space.

Even with several banks in town, Hargett says Cleveland remains a strong market. Planters Bank continues to see growth in loans and deposits, he reports, even though this has slowed somewhat in light of the general economy. “People are still somewhat cautious about their borrowing,” he comments, “which isn’t really a bad thing.”

Lowell “Bo” Benton, chief executive office at Bolivar Medical Center, says that a major project underway, in conjunction with the University of Mississippi and Delta State University, is a new regional diabetes program to address a major health concern in the area.

“Diabetes is a serious problem,” Benton comments. “A recent study in Sunflower County showed that 20% of the entire population has diabetes; other Delta counties probably have a similar number. We believe our new program will be a tremendous resource for the Delta, and hopefully we can work on prevention as well as treatment.”

Education is a important aspect of the Cleveland portrait. Delta State University, under its new interim president, Dr. John Thornell, continues to be a major positive influence benefiting not only the educational community but the entire Cleveland area. Named by U. S. News and World Report as one of America’s Best Colleges for 2003, DSU is cited by many civic leaders and business leaders as one of Cleveland’s best resources. Programs such as Delta Volunteers, which this spring received a grant from Baxter International, demonstrate one of the many ways in which Delta State is involved in efforts to improve the community. The Delta Volunteers program centers on improving health and health awareness among children and families in Bolivar County.

The area’s commitment to quality education extends to its public and private schools. Cleveland School District Superintendent of Education Reggie Barnes states, “Our main future goal is to strengthen the school district’s relationship with civic leaders, parents, and other concerned citizens. A part of our mission is to focus on economic development issues, because education is an important component.”
Among the district’s schools is Hayes Cooper in Merigold, the state’s only charter school. Barnes reports that the school has performed very well in student testing/assessment scores, as compared to other schools in the state. “In last year’s test, Hayes Cooper produced the highest achieving test scores in the state for eighth graders in Algebra I.
“Let me add that we are equally proud of all the schools in our district,” he continues. “While some in the district are not performing as well, we have a three to five year strategy plan to move those schools’ test scores upward.”
Among the excellent alternatives to public schools in Cleveland is Presbyterian Day School. Tommy Naron says that the school is continuing its mission to provide a solid foundation–both in basic subjects and in enrichment courses in such areas as language, art, and music.
“Parents are looking for a safe, secure environment to bring their children into,” Naron says, “where they can get special things for their children. PDS continues to grow in that way, doing all we can to provide quality education in a Christian environment.
“We are certainly not the only school option in Cleveland; the town is blessed with good educational opportunities. This is a town that places a priority on education. Delta State certainly enhances that atmosphere and provides great resources for all of us. I believe that, in general, it is education which will put us in the position to make the Delta all we want it to be,” Naron sums up.
Mayor Martin King says he see a lot of opportunities for Cleveland in the coming years. “There are so many good things on the boards–if we can just get a little help from the economy. But we’ll continue to thrive.
“One of our challenges is to create and maintain a good, stable work force. We want a climate which allows more people to work here. With our quality of life, we know they’ll like living here.” DBJ