Northern Mississippi

[Rural King]

One of the plants landed in Henderson, TN, well to the north of Tupelo, so maybe some of the support plants will end up in area further south of Tupelo.

How good are the economic development efforts of the counties and state in that region? Have they put in the place the proper infrastructure, modern sites/specs, and marketing packages to be competative?

[tombarnes]

That is a good question. I believe that Haley Barbour has spent a lot of effort in bringing business and jobs to this area. There are persistent rumors of a major announcement being made for something in Meridian. I have no more information at this point.

[jetjockey75]

One of the plants landed in Henderson, TN, well to the north of Tupelo, so maybe some of the support plants will end up in area further south of Tupelo.

How good are the economic development efforts of the counties and state in that region? Have they put in the place the proper infrastructure, modern sites/specs, and marketing packages to be competative?

[jetjockey75]

That is a good question. I believe that Haley Barbour has spent a lot of effort in bringing business and jobs to this area. There are persistent rumors of a major announcement being made for something in Meridian. I have no more information at this point.

[Rural King]

Clay County appears rather small in terms of population at under 22K, although West Point is a micropolitan area at 12K. It would be

hard to market themselves to larger firms on their own, but they could be able lure smaller operations if they develop and market good sites/facilities, but their size seems to dictate they will have to work regionally with other counties to benefit from larger plants coming to the area, and perhaps be disadvantage to the more populous communities in the region to bring in the larger employers.

It is a shame Bryan Foods Plant was shut down in West Point, as it was an institional operation for the region with a long history. I grew up eating their meats and until reading this thread was unaware the Mississippi plant had been closed, esp. since I still see the Bryan Food product line around some, or at least did, here in West Tennessee. They made the best Braunschweiger I could buy, as well as some good ham and bologna products.

What did Sara Lee site as the reason for closing the plant, and how many workers did it idle?

[jetjockey75]

What did Sara Lee site as the reason for closing the plant, and how many workers did it idle?