At
this time last year, Yazoo City business and civic leaders
were talking about a brighter future—the farm bill
promised relief for farmers in an area that depends extensively
on an agricultural economy, the Nissan plant in neighboring
Madison County, with its multiple suppliers looking to
locate nearby, offered opportunities for economic growth,
and the new prison in Yazoo City was under construction,
promising hundreds of new jobs for the area.
While these positives and the potential they offer are
still very real, Yazoo City has suffered some major setbacks
this year. Chief among these is the bankruptcy filing
by Mississippi Chemical Corporation, a major producer
of agricultural chemicals and the city’s largest
employer. The company’s troubles and the resulting
loss of many jobs has cast a gloomy aura over Yazoo City—a
gloom heightened by the closing of K-Mart in town (although
this is probably more due to K-Mart’s corporate
problems than to its local business).
It is not surprising, then, that those contacted for this
story express a good deal of uncertainty about the months
ahead. At the same time, however, they keep the positive
indicators in sight and aim for better days beyond these
troubled ones.
The Bank of Yazoo City’s Griffin Norquist provides
an illuminating summary of the town’s current economic
climate. “The bankruptcy filing by Mississippi Chemical
Corporation is a serious blow. The company has seen two
layoffs and a great deal of early retirement in just the
last few months, and has shut down over eighty percent
of their production all over the country.
“Even though other local companies are doing well,
Mississippi Chemical had been our largest employer, and
one with very competitive wages. We’re going to
see some ripple effects throughout the local economy,”
he says. “And on top of that, K-Mart has closed
their store here—that’s going to hurt us as
far as sales taxes.”
“On the positive side, however, the county in particular
is seeing some significant building of homes. Our proximity
to the Nissan plant has allowed numerous residents to
stay here or locate here and commute.”
Butch Gary, who heads the Yazoo City branch of Bank Plus,
also expresses concern about the effect of Mississippi
Chemical’s troubles on the local economy. “They
have always been a very important part of this community,”
he comments. “My greatest concern is for the employees,
and the local merchants, and for the city overall.”
Bank Plus continues to grow, he reports—branches
have recently opened both in the Nissan manufacturing
facility in Canton and in nearby Gluckstadt. The influx
of new business generated by people moving to the Nissan
plant area may have benefits for the Yazoo City area as
well, he says. “There seems to be increased interest
in land in the southern part of Yazoo County, and as we
see new residents move into the county, I think we’ll
also see an overflow of economic benefits into Yazoo City
as well.”
The catfish industry, prominent in the area, continues
to struggle, due to a combination of low prices and oversupply
(a situation made worse by strong overseas competition).
Still, Simmons Farm Raised Catfish, Inc.—another
major Yazoo City employer—is maintaining stable
employment levels, reports Harry Simmons.
“We’re focusing on keeping volume at good
levels, and keeping our people busy,” he states.
“The industry just has more processing capacity
than they need at present levels, although demand for
catfish continues to grow.” The industry continues
to promote itself through the Catfish Institute, Simmons
reports, and cites a number of projects underway which
are helping to create better understanding of the American
catfish product and differentiating it from other fish.
Charles Henry Shelton, general manager of the Yazoo Valley
Electric Power Association, reports that Phase II construction
at the new federal medium-security prison is well underway.
It is one of the most significant developments in the
area, he comments, and will ultimately employ 200 to 300
people.
Also reporting continued residential growth in the county
and predicting additional positive effects due to its
proximity to Mississippi’s Nissan plant, Shelton
says the Association is focused on its contribution to
Yazoo County’s future. “We’re committed
to continuing to improve our reliability,” he states.
“We’ve raised our standards for hiring, and
I’m glad to say we’re having good success
in bringing in new local people.
He comments that many Nissan suppliers do not want to
be located too near the plant site, and that its proximity—“close
enough, but not too close”—will make Yazoo
County attractive to those suppliers.
Curtis Gho with Scott Tractor Company says his firm’s
business remains steady, due in part to its diversified
product lines. Scott Tractor, based in Monroe, LA, offers
agricultural and construction machinery from Case, New
Holland, and other makes through more than twenty-five
outlets in the region.
“Although business in the row-crop market is down,
some of our other markets have picked up,” Gho reports.
“We’re seeing a trend toward purchasing with
our big items. The tax changes of recent years, and the
changes from the manufacturers in their leasing programs,
have made purchasing a very attractive option.”
Among the machines themselves, Gho says that technology
changes are still in the forefront. “The equipment
is getting much more user-friendly, with less margin for
error,” he says. “In agricultural machinery,
GPS technology is increasingly being incorporated into
guidance systems, for example.”
The Quin CPA Firm’s client base includes numerous
businesses, individuals, and farmers, with diversified
services that include investments and monthly management.
Betty Quin reports increased business this year, much
of it coming from the surrounding areas. Although her
agricultural clients are “giving it all they’ve
got, working hard to make a go of things”, she also
feels that the Yazoo City economy is still struggling.
Quin reports one significant change at her firm. “This
year, for the first time, we filed all our individual
tax returns electronically. Some of my clients were skeptical,
but they were pleased to see how quickly their refunds
came. And I found the process to be very efficient.”
She comments that she is receiving more inquiries from
clients regarding retirement plans, attributing it in
part to continuing concerns about the stock market.
At State Farm Insurance, David McPhail provides not only
a full line of insurance products, but additional offerings
such as mutual funds and a savings bank. Sluggish economic
times have hindered the impact of these new offerings,
he reports, but adds that renter’s insurance products
are popular, due in part to the number of people residing
in the area while working on the Federal Corrections Institution.
One continuing plus for the city, says McPhail, is its
fire department. “We’ve got a well-trained,
well-equipped, dedicated fire department which helps Yazoo
City retain a Class 4 fire rating. That keeps insurance
rates down.
“We’ve also got a good newspaper, and a Chamber
of Commerce that works hard,” he continues. “Our
recreation department has also hosted a number of baseball
tournaments—this is a strong program that brings
a lot of people to town, and makes good use of our recreational
complex.”
Tough the times may be at present, but Yazoo City’s
civic and business community remains committed to keeping
their town vital, and the various organizations that focus
on tourism, commerce, and development report a lot of
activity.
“The Little League tournaments that have been held
here have certainly been good for the city,” agrees
Karen Smith with the Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Not
only do they bring in a lot of people, but the tournaments
generally last multiple days, which means visitors are
staying in Yazoo City longer.” With the Wardell
Leach recreational complex, which can accommodate multiple
teams, Smith says prospects are good for more tournaments
coming to town.
The CVB’s efforts at present are focused primarily
in planning for the 100-year anniversary next year of
the fire that destroyed much of Yazoo City in 1904. Numerous
plans are under discussion for commemoration of the event,
Smith reports
Dedicated to the revitalization of downtown Yazoo City,
the Mainstreet Association has itself been revitalized,
says Susan Cartwright-Guion. A downtown business owner
herself, she serves as vice president of the association
and chairperson of its design committee.
“We’re working diligently on a proposal for
a master plan for downtown,” she reports. “Dugan
Design Group from Horn Lake is working with us, helping
pull together an estimate.” To help generate public
interest and community support for the association’s
goals, Cartwright-Guion says two “town meetings”
were recently held.
“The first meeting was held in a restored building
that was then vacant, but is now a new deli,” she
relates. “We invited the public at large, and invited
local merchants to have booths exhibiting the products
they offer. One problem we’ve had is lack of support
for efforts to keep downtown alive—people didn’t
realize how much they could actually buy in downtown Yazoo
City.”
The strong turnout and good comments from both meetings
were gratifying, she says, and explains that the information
gathered will be utilized in writing the master plan.
She also reports that Association president Alan Ramsey
and partners have purchased Yazoo City’s old downtown
hotel, and renovations are tentatively scheduled to begin
this fall.
There is a lot of history in Yazoo City, and with that
history comes strength. These are certainly troubling
times for the community, but with that uncertainty comes
opportunity. Griffin Norquist, giving voice to an attitude
shared by many, says, “This is a town that burned
to the ground in 1904, but it came back. There are better
days ahead for Yazoo City—we’ve just got to
get through some rocky times.” DBJ
