Mississippi’s
heart is beating steady, strong
Economic
woes apparently having little impact on capital city
Amid
continuing reports of a sluggish national economy, Jackson,
Mississippi and her surrounding communities of Ridgeland,
Madison, Brandon and Pearl are faring very well. These areas
and cities, known collectively as “Metro” Jackson,
each have their own distinctive charms and strengths but
also form a cohesive geographic economic unity which is
prospering and growing.
In addition to reports of business growth and expansion
coming from the region—a great deal of this resulting
from the much-heralded Nissan project in Canton—there
exists a cultural and entertainment renaissance in the Metro
area as well. Metro Jackson can boast of over 350 restaurants
and eateries, two semi-pro sports teams, a major art museum,
a sports museum, numerous community and social events. The
list goes on and on and, moreover, is growing.
With a total population of 395,396, Jackson is home to some
456 manufacturing firms which employs approximately 20,000
workers; is headquarters to 32 manufacturing firms; is home
to some 21 Fortune 500 companies; and boasts facilities
from 17 international corporations. And that’s just
a mere beginning.
A casual drive through just about any part of the Metro
area gives evidence to the activity that is taking place:
new construction, heavier traffic and congested shopping
centers are tangibles that lend credence to the reports
of a stronger and more vigorous economy in Central Mississippi.
While the eye can occasionally deceive, in this case, reports
from the business and retail front confirm the evidence
of the senses: Metro Jackson is doing very well—just
take a look around.
Come
and see us
Enticing others to take a look around is the mission of
the Jackson Convention and Visitors Bureau. Executive Director
Wanda Collier-Wilson says that tourism took a positive bounce
after the 9/11 fallout felt in Jackson and across the nation.
“I was happy with what we accomplished here in 2002,”
Wilson says. “After the attack, tourist numbers dropped
dramatically and many CVB’s had to downsize, especially
those which rely on air travel. It hit us in Jackson, but
not quite as bad due to the fact that we are in a prime
geographical location for travelers. This fact was very
important in our keeping tourist numbers fairly stable after
9/11.”
Wilson is promising a more aggressive marketing approach
for Jackson in this new year. “We’re going to
focus on doing a better job of highlighting those events
we’ve become known for in Jackson, such as the St.
Paddy’s Day Parade in March and Jubilee! Jam in May,”
she says. “We are making a more conscious effort to
work even closer with the organizers of local events to
insure greater turnout.
“I’m more excited now about what we’re
doing and the potential for growth and development in downtown
Jackson than I’ve ever been in my 20 years of service
here,” Wilson continues. “It really looks as
if things are going to happen, things that have been talked
about for a number of years. Certainly we’re going
to need political support to accomplish the goals we have
for Jackson and public support is also mandatory for us
to get our projects moving forward. But we’re seeing
an enthusiasm from both the private and public sectors unlike
any in recent memory.”
Wilson is quick to point out that there is no inner-city
competition between Jackson and her Metro neighbors for
the tourist dollar. “We don’t compete with Madison,
Ridgeland, Brandon or any other communities,” she
says. “We augment and compliment each other and work
hand-in-hand on many projects. The simple fact of the matter
is that people looking for a travel destination don’t
know or care that County Line Road divides Jackson and Ridgeland,”
she adds.
All Mississippians should aspire to take advantage of what
Jackson has to offer, Wilson maintains. “This is our
capitol city, whether you’re in the Delta or on the
Gulf Coast,” she says. “There is literally a
whole world of attractions and experiences here in Jackson
that citizens statewide should take better advantage of.”
“The
growth is absolutely amazing”
Bob Singletary, City President of the Old Canton Road State
Bank and Trust location, says his bank is witnessing tremendous
growth due in large part to what is taking place around
the immediate area of his branch.
“I’ve been here since 1995 and there has never
been such a flurry of activity,” Singletary says.
“You have a number of outstanding restaurants within
just a few blocks of here such as the new Char, BRAVO!,
Broad Street Bakery, among many others. You’ve got
Lemuria Bookstore, OffiSource, the Meadowbrook Office Park—developer
Andrew Mattiace has a new building going up across from
Highland Village. The growth is absolutely amazing.”
Singletary says that in order to capture some of the business
that is blooming in his area, he and staff have resorted
to an old business staple: giving attention to the customer.
“That sounds so simple, but it’s a crucial fact
of our bank and, really, any successful business,”
Singletary notes. “To treat each individual as just
that—an individual—is not a cliché for
us at State Bank and Trust. You get to know your customer
on a first name basis and let them know they’re wanted
and appreciated. No advertising dollar can match that simple
fact of how far customer appreciation can go.”
With four locations in the Metro Jackson area, State Bank
and Trust is a major player on the state’s financial
scene.
A
center of knowledge
Metro Jackson is home to several major institutions of higher
learning: Jackson State University, Millsaps College, University
of Mississippi Medical Center, Tougaloo College and one
of the most widely-recognized small colleges in the nation,
Belhaven College.
Located in the historic and charming Belhaven neighborhood,
Belhaven College consistently ranks as one of the country’s
Best Buy and Outstanding Liberal college categories in a
variety of rankings. In addition, Belhaven’s student
population is continuously growing.
“We have an enrollment of about 2100, double the number
we had on campus since I came here,” says Belhaven
President, Dr. Roger Parrott, who arrived on campus in 1996.
“We’re also proud of the fact that, within that
number, some 70% of our graduates stay in Mississippi to
pursue their careers,” he adds.
With tremendous growth on the Belhaven campus—including
the McCravey-Triplett Student Center, an $8 million multi-purpose
facility—-Dr. Parrott says that inner and spiritual
growth is the fuel for the school’s mission.
“We stress community activity and a Christ-centered
education at Belhaven,” Parrott says. “The number
of young people on the campus who do volunteer work—from
tutoring to service projects—is overwhelming. We work
closely with the city of Jackson to make the college and
our neighborhood strong.”
A Kansas native, Parrott says that a number of things impress
him about his new home. “Jackson is a vibrant town
with a great sense and spirit of community,” he says.
“It’s large enough to have the advantages of
a metropolitan area but still small enough where you can
know most folks by name as well as have some influences
on local issues.”
A
difference in taste
For a city its size, Metro Jackson has an enviable number
of fine dining establishments. Dennery’s, Nick’s,
Kathryn’s, Huntington Grille, A.J.’s Seafood
Grille, Tico’s Steak House, Ecco, Fratesi’s,
the new Keegan’s in Ridgeland, Little Tokyo, Brick
Oven Cafe and a score of other restaurants have remained
consistently successful businesses while at the same time
serving nationally-recognized cuisine.
Arguably, two of the best known dining establishments in
Jackson are BRAVO! Restaurant and its sister eatery, Broad
Street Baking Company and Cafe. The brainchild of Jeff Good
and chef Dan Blumenthal, these restaurants have almost taken
on a life of their own, due in no small part to the overwhelming
community involvement of the owners.
“We feel that these are special businesses, yes,”
says Blumenthal. “Being community minded and involved
in events and charities that operate in Jackson are a major
part of our mission. I think that being locally owned we
have and want to pay a greater deal of attention to the
people who support us with their patronage.”
BRAVO! opened in Highland Village in 1995 and quickly garnered
a reputation (confirmed by numerous award and accolades)
for outstanding food, service and as a “place to be
seen.” With the purchase of the shopping center across
the street—Banner Hall—Good and Blumenthal,
along with Lemuria Bbookstore owner John Evans, saw the
need for a New York-style, full service deli. Hence, Broad
Street Baking Company and Cafe was born on the ground floor
of the building.
In the summer of 2002, Good and Blumenthal carried the fare
of Broad Street to meet the concept of express food, and
Broad Street Express was opened downtown in the old Krystal’s
location on the corner of East Capitol Street.
“We recognized the tight time limits people who work
downtown have, especially having to walk back and forth,”
Blumenthal says. “So, Jeff and I decided to make Broad
Street Express a ‘get and go’ establishment:
you place your order, get it in the same line and then you’re
on your way. Very efficient for customers and relatively
easy to run for us. It’s been extremely successful.”
So successful in fact, that Blumenthal reveals that he and
Good are looking at the very real possibility of opening
another Express in the downtown area.
Build
it and they will come
Metro area architects and contractors are also reporting
a much better time of it after a tumultuous and doubt-filled
past few years. As an indicator of economic recovery, the
construction business is often a good gauge of general strength
and this is no exception when assessing the Jackson market.
“Last year was much better than 2001,” says
Larry Singleton with a sigh of relief in his voice. “Much
better.”
As the head of Singleton Architects, PA, in Jackson, Singleton
relates that his firm has several state projects under design
as well as good deal of private work. Among the latter,
Singleton mentions church-related work and the Specialty
Care project for Methodist Medical Rehabilitation Center.
“We’re also seeing a lot of activity with office
buildings and shopping centers primarily in the Jackson
area,” he adds.
Overall, Singleton says that the Nissan Plant in Canton
has pumped a lot of action—and money—into Jackson,
the north part of the city in particular. “Also, there
is now enough state work to go around for all us in the
industry,” Singleton says. “Nothing like what
we saw in the mid to late 90’s, but enough to keep
most us busy, nonetheless.
The Metro economy is doing better than it was 12 months
ago, there’s no doubt,” Singleton continues.
“Go to Ridgeland or Madison; the retail development
coming on-line there is amazing.”
Singleton mentions that Singleton Architects is pleased
to be working on a number of projects in the Delta.
“We have developed a good reputation working with
Delta State University and their physical plant department,”
he notes, “and there is the potential for us to do
several other projects on campus, as well. We also completed
the Family Life Center for the United Baptist Church in
Cleveland and other expansions are a possibility there also.”
Another architectural firm keeping busy during this economic
resurgence is Canizaro, Cawthon and Davis. Located in downtown
Jackson and staffed by 25 people, the firm’s location
is one of the strongest testaments to its capabilities.
Housed in the three-level, 96-year old Spengler-Thomas Building,
Danny Cawthon says the beautifully-renovated office has
been a pleasure to work in. So pleasant to everyone, in
fact, that people off the street are attracted in.
“Yes, we’ve had people just come in during business
hours and want to look around,” Cawthon laughs. The
former home to S.N. Thomas & Sons, the building was
bought by Cawthon and his partners, Bob Canizaro and Steve
Davis, after the firm outgrew their old North State Street
location.
“It was important to us that we stay downtown,”Cawthon
says of the decision to buy the Spengler-Thomas Building.
“We do a lot of business here in Jackson, along with
our out-of-state jobs, and this firm has a history and tradition
of remaining loyal to the downtown area.”
Cawthon says that Canizaro, Cawthon and Davis are involved
in several projects in the downtown area, as a matter of
fact, including attorney’s offices and the Viaduct
Project which is the railroad trussel going in behind the
old King Edward Hotel (“Part of the Union Station
Project for the City of Jackson,”Cawthon says).
“In addition, we are working on renovations at the
Jackson International Airport and the Mississippi Methodist
Rehabilitation Center,” Cawthon says. He also notes
that the firm has done work in the Delta, most recently
at the Greenville Medical Clinic and at the Casino Factory
Shops in Tunica.
“Business is good,” Cawthon summarizes. “We
never really had a work slowdown to speak of, we just experienced
a shift in the types of projects we did.”
One statewide firm with offices in Jackson that conducts
business a bit differently is Johnson, Bailey, Henderson
& McNeel. “All of our employees are dedicated
to making a major, measurable difference with our clients,”
Richard McNeel says of the firm. This dedication entailed
JBHM going a bit further in their services.
“Often, clients would tell us that they needed a certain
service provided or simply needed help with particulars
after a project was created,” McNeel states. “Because
of this need and client demand, JBHM created several separate
divisions of the company to address the most pressing of
these needs that were identified for us.”
Those divisions are: the JBHM Education Group, formed two
years ago and run by Mike Walters with a staff of eight;
the Facilities Resource Group; the Interior Design Group;
the Land Planning Group; the Marketing Resource Group,
“All of these divisions were created to help with
specific problems that our clients faced,” McNeel
says. “For example, the Tunica School District was
facing enormous obstacles and had been placed under a federal
conservatorship because of them. Our Education Group was
hired to look at the situation and within six months, the
conservatorship was lifted entirely. We were, and are, extremely
proud of accomplishments like this.”
McNeel says that, as another example, their Facilities Resource
Group assists clients who have operational and facility
issues after a new building is built. “Too often,
no one has frank dialogues with clients about what is to
come after they move into a new facility,” McNeel
says. “They were on their own and problems would arise.
Now, with us, they are not, because we can help them with
mechanical problems and such that do come up.”
As far as basics go, McNeel says that business for the firm,
like most all others, is also up strongly after a couple
of off years. “JBHM was down 40% in 2000,” McNeel
says. “Now, we’ve bounced back with several
new projects on the board and projections for the year are
on mark for good growth.”
Among those projects are a 46-acre project at Highland Crossings
in Madison which will house a new Home Depot, and the new
Employment Security Commission building on 1-220 in Jackson,
a $13 million project. “That is a major deal since
you will see more work in that area of town solely because
of that building,” McNeel says, in a classic case
of build-it-and-they-will-come. “It’s a very
progressive design that will no doubt act as a magnet and
attract more development.”
Carl Franco, of JH & H Architects in downtown Jackson,
says that from his firm’s vantage point larger projects
are the order of the day. “We were busy last year
at this time but it was primarily with smaller projects,”
he says. “This year we’re looking at much bigger
and more expensive projects which is either coincidence
or an indication of a stronger economy. Hopefully the latter,”
he chuckles.
JH & H is seeing some of the workload as the result
of Hinds County passing a major school bond issue last fall.
“That resulted in $22 million worth of work that we
will do a large portion of,” Franco says. “We
are also doing a $3.5 million renovation job at the Hinds
Community College Utica branch which is substantial and
continue to do a great deal of church design in the private
sector, which has comprised a major part of our recent work.”
One example of such work in the Delta, Franco notes, is
the renovation work the firm will be doing at First Baptist
Church in Greenville. JH & H is also working on a golf
course/tennis club in Tunica, among other projects for that
county as well.
“From our perspective, this year has already turned
out to be much better work-wise than last,” Franco
concludes, which may end up as a need to expand for JH &
H in 2003. As newly-elected president of Mississippi’s
AIA, Franco hopes this trend keeps up for his peers throughout
the whole industry in the state.
On the construction side of the industry, David Marsh of
Benchmark Construction is reporting growth for his Jackson-based
firm, much of it from work in the Delta.
“We’ve got several projects in the Delta right
now, including a major renovation job at the First Baptist
Church in Greenville,” Marsh says. “We also
recently completed an ambulance facility for Delta Regional
Medical Center and are involved in renovation at 14 different
public schools throughout Greenville as well as a major
work at Washington School and Mid-Delta Regional Airport.
The people in the Mississippi Delta are truly great and
we’ve enjoyed working with some of the local sub-contractors
in the region,” he adds.
Having recently relocated Benchmark to a new office on Crane
Ridge Drive off of Lakeland Drive, Marsh says he’s
optimistic about the future. “We are seeing a healthy
backlog of work right now and we know of quite a few potential
projects coming up here in the first quarter,” he
notes. “You hear mixed reports about the economy here,
but I’m encouraged by the potential that I see forthcoming
over the next couple of years.”
“Some of the fastest growing and strongest contractors
in the state are based in the Metro area,” says Bill
McGowan, Plan Administrator for CompTrustAGC of Mississippi
in Gulfport. “Our main Association of General Contractors
office, headed by Perry Nations, is located in Jackson,
and I personally spend a great deal of time in the capitol
city meeting with legislators and promoting the cause for
the construction industry.”
McGowan notes that recent tort reform passed in the Legislature,
while not all he had hoped for, will nonetheless help his
membership.
“Some pressure will be taken off of our members, especially
the young ones who are just starting out, the majority of
whom are located in Metro Jackson,” McGowan says.
“More needs to be done in the tort issue, but at least
our members won’t be looking over their shoulders
for frivolous claims all of the time.”
Helping those in the construction industry is the job of
Woodie Brooks, one of the owners of insurance agency, Heiden
Brooks and Garland. Founded in 1945 by Lou Heiden, father
of current board member John Heiden, the company specializes
in insuring the construction industry.
“Our emphasis is on commercial insurance,” Brooks
says, “with most of that being construction-related.
We’ve gravitated to the area for several reasons,
one is the fact that my dad was a subcontractor and all
of my summers were spent working on job sites. Secondly,
my partner here, Doug Garland, had been a bond underwriter
for many years, so it’s a natural fit
We deal with clients all over the state,” Brooks continues,
“and we are growing at a nice clip in spite of the
market being tighter than I’ve ever seen it in my
twenty-plus years of being in the business. We’ve
managed to keep our prices at a nominal level even though
rates are skyrocketing. There’s still a lot of room
for opportunity.”
Brooks attributes Heiden Brooks and Garland’s growth
to several factors but one above all others: honesty.
“You know, it may seem simple, but having integrity
and being honest with yourself and your clients is the right
way to do business,” Brooks says. “If we can
do a job right, we’re not going to do it. Period.
We are not going to cut corners. The fact of the matter
is, if you don’t run your business honestly, you’re
not going to stay in business very long.
I think we’ve got one of the best staffs in the state
and we’ve been told just that,” Brooks continues.
“Our firm is very experienced, and we love this business
and serving people.”
Laying
down the law
As the state’s largest city, Jackson is also home
to Mississippi’s largest and most prestigious law
firms. Being the hub of business activity and the capitol,
these firms find that being located in Jackson is a major
advantage for them and for their clients.
Steve Rosenblatt, Chairman of the Executive Committee for
Butler, Snow, O’Mara and Stevens in downtown Jackson,
has been practicing with the firm in Jackson for 27 years.
One of the largest firms in the state, Rosenblatt says that
Butler, Snow never set out to grow just for the sake of
growth.
“We’re not driven by numbers,” he says.
“What we did do was ask the question, ‘What
services do our clients need most?’ and so we added
necessary areas of practice to serve those particular needs.
Subsequently that caused us to add to and increase our staff.
Four years ago, as an indicator of this, Butler, Snow added
a Public Finance and Governmental Practice section to the
firm,” Rosenblatt continues. “Two years ago,
we added an Intellectual Property section as well, so we’ve
grown in practice area. We have over 125 attorneys practicing
with us, including 95 in the Jackson office, 20 in the Memphis
office and 10 on the Gulf Coast.”
One of the differences between the expansion pattern of
Butler, Snow and other regional law firms is that the firm
is a Mississippi-based operation which is expanding into
regions outside the state while other firms are based outside
the state and are moving into Mississippi.
The strengths of Butler, Snow? “We do put the client’s
interests first,” Rosenblatt answers. “The firm
comes second and the individual lawyer’s interests
last. In too many firms, that order is reversed. All of
our policies and compensation systems are driven by customer
satisfaction. We gauge that satisfaction by repeat business,
open communication and close relationships. We address any
problems that come up openly and directly.
“This firm is excited about the future of Jackson
and of this state,” Rosenblatt says about what lies
ahead. “We’re seeing a lot of things starting
to happen here in the region and we are certainly committed,
both as a firm and as individual attorneys, to helping speed
up the process in a constructive manner.”
Watkins, Ludlam, Winter & Stennis is another well-respected
and successful firm in the downtown area. Handling a diverse
array of specialties, the firm concentrates on general business
litigation, product liability litigation and medical liability.
“We’ve grown substantially over the past several
years,” says Neville Boschert, a Delta native who
practices with the firm. “Watkins, Ludlam, Winter
& Stennis currently has offices in Olive Branch, MS
to serve the northern part of the state, one in Gulfport
for the southern part and a New Orleans office to serve
clients in Louisiana.”
Boschert says the current “hot button” issue
for his firm, and many others, is medical litigation.
“You’re talking about a multi-plaintiff issue
which we’ve seen a lot of in the state,” he
says. “Punitive damages in business litigation has
also been a big issue, such as interference with contract
litigation—that area is ripe for punitive damage claims.
With the legal climate the way it has been, big damage awards
are not uncommon these days. Recent legislation will change
that somewhat,” Boschert goes on to say, “but
time will tell since those changes were only just recently
put into effect.”
A 20-year veteran of the firm, Boschert says that Watkins,
Ludlam does a great deal of corporate work involving issues
like buying and selling and business set-ups. “We
also have a large regulatory practice representing a number
of banks, insurance companies and similar institutions.
Different firms have different strengths, of course, but
we’re quite diversified and broad in our own specialties.”
In January, 2001, Balch & Bingham, LLP and Eaton &
Cottrell merged to form the Gulfport and Jackson offices
of Balch & Bingham, which, in a short time, has become
a major presence in the capitol city. The Jackson office
was opened to broaden its base and facilitate access to
state and federal courts and governmental agencies, a common
criteria for downtown location.
“The Jackson office was opened because of a definite
need,” says native Jacksonian Scott Andress, a partner
in the Balch & Bingham firm located in the Heritage
Building. “We had a number of gaming clients and the
Mississippi Gaming Commission is located here. Plus, I had
been commuting to Jackson from the Coast, and that long
commute was getting a little tedius!” Andress laughs.
He says that Balch & Bingham, which is based out of
Birmingham, Alabama, is a perfect fit for the Jackson area.
“We handle completely all aspects of labor employment
law and all aspects of gaming law,” Andress comments.
“Balch & Bingham is a full service corporate commercial
practice with 180 lawyers firm-wide. The attorneys we have
here in the Jackson office—Pepper Crutcher, Jr., Armin
Moeller, David Thomas, II, and E. Russell Turner—are
noted and recognized experts in their respective specialties.”
Andress adds that new attorneys will be coming into the
firm. “Our ultimate goal is to settle in with about
25 lawyers on staff here in Jackson over the next few years,”
he says. “We want to grow aggressively but smartly.”
“Jackson is an area we have concentrated on for some
time,” says David Thomas, a labor unemployment specialist
with the firm who is also a Greenville native. “Balch
& Bingham sees the current upswing in wage and hours
claims as a focal point for growth and client assistance
in this market.”
More
than a numbers game
Frank Betts, of the well-respected accounting firm Eubank
& Betts reports that his clients have remained stable
for the most part, with some punctuations in a number of
industries. “Because of that, I suppose it can be
said with regard to the overall Metro economy that there
has been a great deal of balance,” Betts says as an
example.
“Madison has seen tremendous growth with the preparation
of the Nissan facility,” Betts goes on, “both
in the commercial and residential aspects. So, in many regards,
there is a case for optimism here. I would certainly say
that our clientele at Eubank & Betts is doing very well,
so there are a number of positive signs out in the market
today.”
Betts observes that, because of the large number of third
party payments that come into Mississippi, the state does
not suffer economic blows quite as terribly as other areas
in the country. “We don’t see the huge swings
like, say, the New England area,” Betts says. “On
the other hand, several of the Southern states surrounding
us are projected to see substantial economic growth during
the next 20 years, which hopefully will have some ripple
effect on Mississippi.”
Echoing a theme sounded earlier by Wanda Collier-Wilson,
Betts says that Jackson stands to gain a lot from tourism
because of its location. “It’s pleasantly surprising
to see the amount of tourism dollars we already get,”
Betts says, “and there’s no doubt we can capitalize
on that momentum and bring in more. It’s also a major
plus that we are home to several outstanding educational
institutions.”
Summing up, Betts says, “We’re very proud of
our firm and our relationship to the city and state. I love
living in Jackson and have gained a number of opportunities
from my time here.”
John Noblin, Vice President and Marketing Director for AmSouth
Bank in Jackson, says the bank will be rolling out several
new products in 2003 to capitalize on the outstanding year
that was had in ‘02.
“2002 was a record year for earnings for AmSouth,”
Noblin says, “with $609 million in net income. We
also think that our loan growth in Q4 bodes well for ‘03.
For ‘04 we are projecting earnings of $1.77 per share.
This all ties in with our focus in Mississippi on continuing
to grow through acquiring new households and developing
new commercial relationships to supplement our existing
commercial base.”
Noblin mentions one of the new products AmSouth is promoting:
Commercial RelationshiPlus. “We launched this on January
2,” he says. “Basically, it’s a packaged
account that offers analyzed checking, a premium money market
account, a selection of Treasury Management services, plus
a selection of banking products for key management. Commercial
RelationshiPlus is targeted to companies with at least $5
million in annual sales,” Noblin adds.
“There are a number of other products that AmSouth
offers that would be of interest to, and an advantage for,
businesses,” Noblin continues. “I’m referring
to Business Relationship Plus, AmSouth@Work, and others,
information on which can be had at any of our branches.”
About working out of and being based in downtown Jackson,
Noblin says, “As a large downtown resident, we are
naturally very interested in maintaining the vitality of
the area as the prime business district in the city. While
there has been some increased interest from businesses in
moving to areas of downtown, we at AmSouth are committed
to staying and forming part of the stable base that improvement
organizations such as Downtown Partners, headed by John
Lawrence, can build on.
Similarly, the Jackson CVB serves to bring people in to
Jackson for meetings and events,” Noblin continues,
“and AmSouth wants to help them by continuing to promote
worthwhile events in Jackson through our sponsorships and
support.”
Sharing space with Noblin in the AmSouth building is Horne
CPA Group, the 50th largest accounting firm in the United
States and the 7th largest in the Southeast. Company President
and CEO, Ron Applewhite, is quick to brag about the downtown
area.
“This is the financial center of the state and is
truly a great place to work in,” Applewhite says.
“We’ve been downtown now for 15 years and we
occupy four and a half floors in the AmSouth building with
120 employees, so our presence here is a major one. Horne
is also actively involved in the revitalization of downtown
Jackson and we are committed to its improvement and plan
to be here for a long time.”
According to Applewhite, Horne CPA Group has several leading
components of its practice, including the health care division—-which
makes up the majority of the firm’s business—and
the franchising division.
“Years ago, when William F. Horne started the firm,
it was primarily health care driven,” Applewhite says.
“However, we’ve been able to diversify and spread
out into several different areas of expertise. Today we
consider ourselves overall business consultants, not only
able to do audits and tax returns, but also able to help
clients in every aspect of their business. Despite recent
bad press, firms such as Horne CPA Group remain the most
trusted advisor to business.”
Since arriving at Horne in July of 1991, Applewhite says
the growth the company has experienced is nothing short
of phenomenal. “When I arrived, we had net fees of
around $6.8 million; today, we probably have in excess of
$28 million, with some 13 to 14 million of that produced
right here in the Jackson office. This growth is the result
of mergers, internal expansion and the diversification of
services offered.”
They’ll
leave the lights on for you
Delta native Gloria Johnson is the Director of Customer
Service for Entergy. Working in the company’s downtown
office gives her a close view of the activity and revitalization
taking place in the capital city.
“There’s a lot going in the Metro vicinity,
not only downtown, but all over the area,” the Valley
State and Delta State grad notes. “From my own perspective
I’m seeing a tremendous amount of infrastructure improvements
all over the city. In addition, Highland Colony Parkway
continues to be a hotbed of development and we are seeing
numerous projects in Rankin County as well as commercial
and industrial development going on at Hawkins Field Industrial
Park and the Jackson State University Parkway.”
Of course, Johnson notes, with all of this growth and development,
Entergy has to be directly involved because of lighting
capabilities and projects that are necessary components
of the development. The utilities company is also very active
in community
