Newsmakers
18 Q Mississippi Business Journal Q August 24, 2018
Goodwill names Spears to marketing position
Goodwill of Mississippi recently hired Janet Spears as Vice-President of Marketing. Spears has more than 20 years experience as a Marketing and Development Director in Mississippi. Her focus is to educate the public and promote Goodwill’s Mission assisting people with disabilities and other barriers to employment gain meaningful jobs. She is married to Freddie Spears. They make their home in Brandon and are active members of the Pointe Church.
Nissan, Habitat build another home
VT Halter Marine appoints Baczkowski
VT Halter Marine, Inc., a subsidiary of Vision Technologies Systems, Inc. (VT Systems) today announced that Ronald Baczkowski has been appointed as the President and CEO for VT Halter Marine with immediate effect. Baczkowski Baczkowski joined the United States Marine Corps in 1980 and retired with the rank of Brigadier General in 2012. He had held various command and staff appointments directing high-level strategic initiatives with impact on tens of thousands of troops. He joined VT Systems in 2016 and was mostly recently Vice President of Business Development. Before that from 2013-2015, he was Chief Operating Officer of Angarai International Inc., a professional management consulting firm; and Senior Program Manager at Engility Corporation, a provider of integrated services for US government, where he had operational oversight and P&L responsibility. Baczkowski holds a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces; Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the US Naval Academy; and a Master of Science in Systems Management/Logistics from the University of Southern California.
Economic Education board elects Mosley to chairman
The Mississippi Council on Economic Education Board of Directors recently elected Brooks Mosley as chairman of the board for the 2018-19 term. Brooks is the president of Ballew Wealth Management. As preseident of Ballew Wealth Management, he advises clients, particularly in retirement investing. Brooks’ other responsibilities include business development and compliance, as well as administrative and management functions. Brooks is a 1982 graduate of Mississippi State University. After college, he spent several years in public accounting before joining the Ballew Wealth Management team. In addition to his CPA designation, Brooks holds series 7, 24, 28 and 63 securities certifications. Brooks was involved in troop 302 of the Boy Scouts of America, and he is currently a member of the French Camp Academy board and the Mississippi Council on Economic Education board. Brooks enjoys traveling and reading of the classics. He and his wife, Sherry, have three children and attend Covenant Presbyterian Church.
Courtesy of Habitat for Humanity Mississippi Capital Area
Volunteers from Nissan Canton Assembly Plant and Habitat for Humanity Mississippi Capital Area recently partnered on their 11th home build. Over the course of two months, nearly one hundred Nissan employees made a commitment of time and effort to build a new home in Jackson for Tyran Trotter and her two children, Daisha and Tyler.
ACG promotes Wise Associated General Contractors of Mississippi (AGC) recently promoted Kay Wise to Event Coordinator for AGC Mississippi and CompTrust AGC. Wise joined AGC Mississippi as Administrative Assistant in May 2018. She has 20 years of association experience having served as Events Coordinator for Wise Mississippi Associated Builders and Contractors and Continuing Education/Events Coordinator for Mississippi Nurses Association. Wise is a graduate of Mississippi State University with a degree in business education. Wise will be the point of contact and will handle all events from start to finish.
Alcorn 3rd on Value Colleges’ list Alcorn State University in Lorman has been recognized again as one of the nation’s top historically black colleges and universities. The University is ranked third on the Top 50 Value Colleges’ Historically Black Colleges & Universities 2018 list. Alcorn is the highest ranked Mississippi school on the website’s list. Value Colleges is a website that offers researched, straightforward, and practical answers to commonly asked questions about value and affordability when making college decisions.
Brown joins Peoples Bank as loan officer
Forbes recognizes Keesler Federal
Peoples Bank today announced that Jacob “Jake” Brown has joined the bank and will serve as a Loan Officer in the bank’s Collins Branch. Brown earned an Associates degree in Accounting from Jones County Junior College in 2016 and completed studies to earn Brown his Bachelor of Science degree in Banking & Finance from the University of Southern Mississippi in May, 2018. Most recently, Brown worked in a community bank in Hattiesburg, where he was responsible for a number of functions within the branch. He is the son of Mark and Karen Brown, and is a member of Dry Creek Baptist Church.
Keesler Federal Credit Union has been ranked as one of “America’s Best In-State Credit Unions” by Forbes Magazine. In its inaugural ranking of America’s best, Keesler Federal is the only credit union in Mississippi to be recognized in the Forbes list. The ranking is based on independent surveys of customers regarding overall satisfaction, willingness to recommend and trust. Forbes conducted more than 25,000 surveys across the United States in compiling the ranking. Only those credit unions with the highest scores were included in the list. “We are very pleased to be recognized as one of America’s best credit unions,” says Keesler Federal CEO Andy Swoger. “Such recognition is a testament to the high member satisfaction we work so hard to achieve.” Keesler Federal is a $2.5 billion cooperative, a not-for-profit owned by its members. The credit union has experienced tremendous growth over the last few years, including a 40 percent increase in new loan demand. Established in 1947, Keesler Federal Credit Union is the largest Mississippi-based credit union and has more than 600 employees. With 29 branches, Keesler Federal serves over 216,000 members worldwide.
Holifield elected honorary life member The Southern Economic Development Council recently named Sandy Holified as an Honorary Life Member of the association. The HLM designation is the highest award SEDC bestows and it recognizes individuals that have made significant contributions to the profession in one or more of SEDC’s footprint states. Holifield, Vice President for the Jones County EDA, has been an active member of SEDC since 1993. Holifield has been an SEDC Committee Chair, an Alternate Director, and State Director for Mississippi.