Jackson, Mississippi has continued in its growth and stature as a major telecommunications, financial, health care, and, yes, even cultural center. In a recent edition of Inc. Magazine, in fact, Jackson ranked 20th in the small metro area category of the issue's "Best Cities to Start and Grow a Company Now." The city was recognized for its efforts in encouraging and supporting new business start-ups. Culturally, among several current ongoing events, Jackson is hosting "The Majesty of Spain: Royal Collections from the Museo del Prado & Patrimonio Nacional", the largest exhibition of Spanish national treasures form seven royal residences and the Prado Museum, a one-time, one-city appearance in North America, March 1 through September 3, exclusively at the Mississippi Arts Pavilion downtown. This exhibition has been designated the "2001 Top United States Event" by the American Bus Association. The Mississippi Museum of Art is also currently presenting the world premier of "Andrew Wyeth: Close Friends", an exhibition of 74 original works depicting the world of the great American artist's African-American friends and neighbors from 1933 to the present. The program runs through May 13 of this year. Included in the exhibition are oil paintings, major egg tempera paintings, watercolors and graphite drawings from numerous lenders, including major U.S. museums and private collectors across the country, as well as thirty works from the personal collection of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Wyeth. "These works are, perhaps, among the artist's purest paintings, ones that are virtually devoid of metaphor and symbolism," explains Andy Maas, the director of the Museum. "This lifetime of work is about Andrew Wyeth's home and communityÑthe world in which he really lives. As an exhibition, ÔAndrew Wyeth: Close Friends' reveals an artist who reveres and respects his worldÑa world that is inclusive and without bias. It just is." Of course, no stop in Jackson would be complete without a visit to the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum on Lakeland Drive. Sponsored by the Mississippi Sports Foundation, Inc., a non-profit corporation established in June of 1992, the Museum occupies 21,542 square feet of pure sports fun and fascination. The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum employs advanced media technology to create an exhilarating sensory experience that has drawn visitors from not only all over the state, but also from across the nation. An extensive collection of memorabilia from the nearby Dizzy Dean Museum is also a part of the Sports Hall of Fame and Museum's second floor exhibit. Computer designed informational exhibits using interactive laser disc systems encourage visitors to discover intricate details on subjects that they wish to explore. And digital imagery gives audiences a chance to experience on-field exploits without ever getting a scratch. Funding for the Museum is derived from a partnership of private and public sources. The $4.5 million state-of-the-art facility is, as director Michael Rubenstein puts it, "a living, breathing testament to the competitive spirit." Financially, the capitol city is also doing quite well, according to statistical indexes and the assessment of local financial leaders. Bob Singletary, City President for the Jackson office of State Bank and Trust (formerly The Valley Bank), says that he cannot recall when the city has been on such sound financial footing. "Jackson has been growing at a very good pace over the past few years," Singletary says. "The real estate market in Northeast Jackson, in particular, is doing very well, and certainly Nissan's entering our market will be a huge plus for the Metro area." These signs, coupled with Fed chairman Alan Greenspan's lowering of the interest rates, leads Singletary to conclude that a recession will probably not be forthcoming and that Jackson will continue its economic ascension. "Jackson is certainly growing across the board," Singletary continues, "but mainly I think our telecommunications strengths set us apart. You only have to think of WorldCom, Skytel, and the new Air2Lan, the company started by Jhai Bhagat, which is showing tremendous gains and growth." Moreover, Singletary says that State Bank and Trust, and most other community banks in Jackson, are also showing gains. Stacey Wall, CEO of Pinnacle Trust, a major financial management company in Jackson, says he also is pleased with what he sees in the Metro area's economy. "I think the economy here is doing well," Wall comments. "We're going to see a little bit of slow down, perhaps here in the first quarter, but the Fed has been so aggressive in lowering interest rates, and with the Bush tax cut coming, I think that we all will rebound nicely." As for Nissan's impending arrival, Wall says, "It's a great thing for Mississippi, without a doubt. Not only will it be good for our economy, it will also give the state a shot of pride." Handling over $100 million in assets under management, Pinnacle Trust positions itself as an alternative to other financial advisors and bank trust advisors. Wall says, "We provide wealth management services in the area of asset management, estate planning, trust services, and retirement planning for individuals and their families throughout Mississippi and the Southeast. We're different, we think, because we offer a combination of personal and high level services to our clients." Wall recently gave his Economic Forecast Luncheon in Jackson, an annual speaking event in which he gives an overview of the economy and predicts trends and challenges in jargon-free language. The event, which this year drew over 500 in Jackson, has been expanded to Hattiesburg and the Gulf Coast as well, and Wall hope that next year he will give the talk in Indianola. One of the largest and most respected insurance agencies in the state is located in Jackson. Barksdale Bonding and Insurance Company, on Lakeland Drive, was founded in the late 1920's by Robert Barksdale. Today, the company is overseen by President Charles Porter, a man who takes the history of the firm very seriously. "I still have a plaque awarded to Mr. Barksdale in the 1933 by the Maryland Casualty Company, which is now part of the Zurich American Insurance Company," Porter says. "We were originally located in downtown Jackson, and construction bonding was an early niche Mr. Barksdale carved out for our company." Porter says that construction bonding is still a mainstay of Barksdale Bonding's business and outstanding reputation. "We consider ourselves a young, aggressive, professional and service-oriented company," Porter says. "We get the job done. We focus on commercial, property, casualty, and group health insurance, as well as personal and life insurance for individuals. Besides selling insurance, we help our clients with EEOC, all of the various federal regulation compliances, we can do group health, cafeteria plans, 401K plans. We also do bonding for commercial businesses as well." The construction bonding, which Barksdale Bonding and Insurance is known for, guarantees, through corporate suretyship, a completion of a project, and payment for all materials and labor for that project according to the proper statutes, be they state or federal. "There are only a handful of companies that specialize in bonding insurance as we do," Porter says. "We try to become the total risk manager for the contractor. Because of this, we belong to every construction trade group in the state, like the Mississippi AGC and ABC." Besides being specialists in the bonding field, Porter says that the company also specializes in agricultural and aviation work. "Bill Janous, Gage Gibbs, and Mike Bracken, all of whom work for us, call on ag businesses in the Delta on a regular basis," Porter says. "We do work with catfish processing plants, catfish farmers and row crop farmers." With a branch office in Nashville, Barksdale Bonding and Insurance is also known as a leader in transportation insurance. "We insure the long-haul trucking industry," Porter says. "We are the largest long-haul trucking insurance agency in the state as well as the largest aviation issuer here. We write liability coverage on these trucks, insure the cargo within, and any physical damage that might happen to take place." Porter says that he and staff are proud to call Jackson home. "Too often in the past, it seemed that a lot of people wanted to knock Jackson just for the sake of knocking it," Porter observes, "especially our city leadership. But, frankly, I have found our city leaders to be hard-working, conscientious people. Moreover, I believe real steps are being taken to tackle the crime issue, for example." Another outstanding company. located in downtown Jackson, is JH&H Architects. One of the largest architectural firms in the state since its inception some 35 years ago, the firm has made a strong and noticeable commitment to the growth of the community where it is located. "We've been a part of downtown Jackson for years," says JH&H combine president Carl Franco, "and we truly enjoy this area. We think that as Jackson goes, so goes the Metro area, and the whole state as well. Personally, I'd like to see more interaction amongst the suburbs and Jackson proper, and we need more unified goals, but that's a minor quibble. I think there is tremendous opportunity here for growth and prosperity and we're seeing that with Nissan coming in and the manner in which the whole tri-county Metro area is booming." A full-service firm, JH&H employs a staff of 30, including architects, interior designers, and planning designers. "Our three areas of specialty are public work for cities, states, counties, and the federal government," Franco lists, "religious workÑwe've designed and worked on almost 150 churches in 13 states; and education work. Currently, we're doing municipal projects in Vicksburg, where we did the Convention Center. We've begun work on the new Natchez Convention Center which is under construction. And, of special interest to Delta residents, we're doing preliminary work for Mayor Paul Artman in Greenville on analyzing the possibility of their new convention center." Franco says that a current major project for JH&H is the master plan for the renovation and expansion of the student union at Mississippi State, which will end up being between a $20-30 million dollar project. "We are also currently doing libraries for McComb, Pearl and Flowood," Franco says, "projects that are all in the $3 to $4 million range. Our philosophy here is to strive for total customer service on a job. We emphasize professional service for our clients. That's what we're here for," Franco continues. "To aid those who entrust us to a job in getting their dream transformed into a three-dimensional building that works for them. Award winning design is not our main objective; customer satisfaction and happiness is. About 3/4 of our projects come from repeat clients," Franco says, "so I think that says that we are being successful in meeting our goals. We're currently looking into expanding our services more into the Delta, especially with religious and education projects, and we hope to continue our track record into that great region of our state." In two focuses, only a fraction of what makes Jackson tick has been touched on. There is much more to be told about our capitol city, one that has so much to offer and has so many ties to the Mississippi Delta. As has been said, as Jackson goes, so goes the state. This is certainly true. Since the city is currently undergoing both an economical and cultural renaissance, surely its success is a harbinger for the rest of us. DBJ

(Be sure to catch WABG-TV 6's coverage of the "Delta's Edge" Jackson focus, airing the first full week of March with reporter Wanda Pittman.)