MBJ_Jan02_2015

INSIDE — Cary Crawley has courage to drive business forward, Page 11 MBJ FOCUS Law & Accounting

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{Section begins P 8}

» Dean’s lessons reach far beyond the classroom The Lists {P 9} » Largest CPA firms Bill Crawford {P 2} » There will be lots of difficult choices for 2015 Book Biz {P 11} » A look back at some of the best books of 2014, according to the MBJ

January 2, 2015 • Vol. 37, No. 1 • $1 • 12 pages

CUBA — ¿si? or ¿no?

Cigar lovers hold their breath — Page 3

OUR BIG BUSINESS » DAVID DALLAS: Investing in our state’s football future.

More, P 7

LOOKING AHEAD

MDA’s Christensen forecasts economic growth momentum continuing in 2015

By BECKY GILLETTE mbj@msbusiness.com Mississippi Development Authority Executive Director Brent Christensen foresees 2015 being a year when the state builds upon the strengthening economic activity of both the state and the nation in the past year.

“As the national economy continues to rebound and strengthen, that momentum will continue to carry over,” Christensen said.

“Companies are increasingly seeking new locations to expand as a result of the economy’s resurgence, and Christensen we will work just as hard in 2015 to capitalize upon that momentum to create jobs for Mississippi’s residents and strengthen communities throughout our state.”

MDA expects the state to reap the rewards of several large projects that begin production in 2015.

One if the Yokohama Tire Corporation commercial truck tire plant in West Point, representing a $300 million investment that is expected to create 500 jobs in its initial phase.

“While the company has potential future plans to increase its investment to more $1 billion and 2,000 jobs, the positive impact the initial phase of the facility will have on the local and regional economies will be tremendous,” Christensen said. “The Golden See

NEW YEAR, Page 2

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2 I Mississippi Business Journal I January 2, 2015 PERCOLATIN’ WITH BILL CRAWFORD

State leaders face hard choices for 2015

H

appy New Year, America! With economic growth at 5 percent, gasoline prices below $2 a gallon, and unemployment below 6 percent, all is great.

Not so fast, as Lee Corso likes to say. Despite some football successes, everything is not great for Mississippi. Let’s get Corso’s pencil out and figure some numbers.

In Mississippi, year-over-year jobs were down 13,600 or 1.2 percent in November (according to state Annual Labor Force Reports). This compares with a 2 percent increase nationally (according to federal Labor Force Statistics).

Following the Great Recession, Mississippi’s average annual labor force rebounded to a peak in 2011. But, since then the trend has been down. The 2014 average was 70,300 lower through November than the 2011 average.

That’s 70,300 Mississippians who just quit looking for work.

Over the same period, jobs in Mississippi fell 26,700 or 2.2 percent, while they increased nationally by 4.5 percent.

Fewer job opportunities discourage people from looking for work.

What to do?

Labor Force Statistics indicate Mississippi’s private sector grew jobs

NEW YEAR

slightly while public sector jobs (federal, state, and local government) decreased slightly over the past year.

One thought might be for the legislature to spend more on education and other services to grow public sector jobs. However, the public sector already accounts for 21.5 percent of all Mississippi jobs, compared with the national average of 15.4 percent. Clearly, more private sector jobs are needed.

Then, again, to get more private sector jobs, especially higher paying ones, Mississippi needs a better educated workforce (the state ranked next to last in educational attainment in the latest Census). That calls for greater investments in education and training.

On the other hand, Mississippi needs better incentives to attract more private sector jobs. So that’s where state investment of limited funds should go.

But, Mississippi needs to upgrade infrastructure statewide and in many communities to attract more private sector jobs. So the state should invest in highways and programs that support industrial park and utility development.

What to do?

The reality is different areas of the state need different types of invest-

ments. Poor counties with bad schools, workforces, and infrastructure need long-term investments in education … that’s their only hope.

Other better-off counties have adequate schools Bill Crawford and workforces but need investments in incentives and/or infrastructure to grow jobs. Investments in highway maintenance are crucial in some areas.

One size fits all is not the answer. A little bit for everybody is unlikely to work either.

Hard choices to prioritize investments are needed. Not so fast, 2015 is an election year, a time when politicians like to please everyone to help their re-election. It’s not a good year for hard choices.

We can only hope the governor and legislature have the gumption to make New Year’s resolutions with economic growth at the top.

Have a Happy New Year anyway.

Bill Crawford (crawfolk@gmail.com) is a syndicated columnist from Meridian.

Continued from Page 1

Triangle Region’s economy has seen significant improvement throughout the facility’s construction phase thus far, and the addition of these 500 jobs will contribute greatly to the area’s regional economy for years to come.”

Another new company that will begin operations in 2015 is German-owned ISA TanTec. The company is locating its first U.S. tannery operations in Vicksburg, creating 366 jobs. Christensen said ISA TanTec is recognized by the world’s top footwear brands as a supplier of premium quality leathers. Another project slated to come online in 2015 is McDermott International, which plans to locate its pipeline operations at the Port of Gulfport. This project is expected to create 100 full-time jobs, in addition to the longshoremen who will be employed while vessels are at port. McDermott represents the first major jobs announcement of the Port of Gulfport Restoration Project.

“These are just three examples of companies planning to begin operations in 2015,” Christensen said. “The past few years we have welcomed many new business investments that have created — and are still creating — thousands of jobs for the residents of Mississippi. This continued economic growth will benefit the communities in which these companies are located and help strengthen the state’s economy as a whole.”

The MDA has targeted seven industries in the state for growth: advanced manufacturing, aerospace, agribusiness, automotive, energy, healthcare and shipbuilding sectors.

“It’s no secret that Mississippi’s automotive industry continues to be a powerhouse within the state, as well as the Southern Automotive Corridor, which is exceptional considering the industry was non-existent in Mississippi just over a decade ago,” Christensen said. “Companies like Nissan and Toyota and all the automotive suppliers in the state continue to put us on a global stage as they expand and locate to Mississippi. Nissan’s Canton plant just began production of the Murano, which is now the eighth model produced at the facility.

“The decision by Nissan to bring the Murano to Canton positions the facility as the global source for Murano production, creating export opportunities in more than 100 markets and shifting the plant from a domestic manufacturer to a global one. As long as these companies

FILE

Mississippi Development Authority Executive Director Brent Christensen foresees 2015 being a year when the state builds upon the strengthening economic activity of both the state and the nation in the past year. continue helping us demonstrate to the world that we have the solid infrastructure and productive workforce to support automotive companies, the industry will continue to grow.”

Mississippi is also home to aerospace companies such as Rolls-Royce, Raytheon, SpaceX, GE Aviation, Airbus Group, Northrop Grumman, Aurora Flight Sciences, and Stark Aerospace. A major asset in that area for Mississippi has been the Stennis Space Center in Hancock County “We have always had a stable aerospace industry, and moving forward, we will continue focusing on expanding it and creating advanced jobs in this important sector,” Christensen said. “The shipbuilding industry is also poised for growth on the Gulf Coast. Shipbuilding is a prime contributor to the region’s overall economy.

Recognizing that, we are focused on increasing capacity

in the sector as we look to the future of economic development in South Mississippi. Mississippi has the ideal infrastructure in place for companies in this sector, and we will continue to market our advantages to further grow the industry.”

He also wants to keep priming the pump for tourism growth. There are teams in place at the state, regional and local levels who are dedicated to promoting tourism in Mississippi and attracting even more visitors from around the country and around the world.

“Mississippi is full of creative and cultural offerings that drive the industry, and in FY 2013, we welcomed 21.6 million visitors who spent $6.25 billion while they were in our state,” Christensen said. “Obviously, Mississippi’s tourism industry is a major player in our economy, and we are hoping for even more resources to be allotted to us so we can market Mississippi to an even wider range

of audiences. The film industry in Mississippi has also surged over the past year, and looking forward, I see no signs of it slowing down.”

Sixteen feature length films were filmed in Mississippi in 2014, a record number for a single year. Get on Up, the James Brown biopic directed by Mississippi native Tate Taylor, was released this year after being filmed in Natchez and Jackson.

“The movie once again made Mississippi shine on the big screen, and Hollywood took notice,” Christensen said.

“Numerous big screen films have been or are currently being shot in the state, as long as we keep providing incentives and a workforce that is ready to take on the tasks required, they will keep coming. When you have high profile stars such as Mick Jagger and Dan Aykroyd telling their friends and the world how wonderful Mississippi is, people are going to listen.”

January 2, 2015

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Mississippi Business Journal

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INTERNATIONAL IMPACT ON MISSISSIPPI

CUBA — ¿si? or ¿no? » Mississippi’s cigar lovers hold their collective breath

By JACK WEATHERLY jack.weatherly@msbusiness.com

Cuban cigars have become, for many Americans, the stuff that dreams are made of.

That’s because the trade embargo imposed by the United States more than 50 years ago on the communist nation 90 miles off the coast of Florida has blocked legal sales in this country.

Now President Obama has struck a match by re-establishing diplomatic relations and proposing free trade and travel between the two countries.

There is much speculation about when free trade might happen, and if it will. For now, travelers can bring back cigars and alcohol worth no more than $100.

Lovers of premium, hand-rolled cigars can wait and hope —and maybe lobby, as much as they can — but producers of grain, such as rice and wheat, are more likely to tip the scales in favor of trade.

To get the full agreement, Obama needs help from the Republican Party, which gained control of the U.S. Senate in the November elections to go along with its domination of the House.

Neal Haddon, owner of a cigar lounge in Rankin County, expects that if the Cuban stogies are sold in open market in the United States they will be quite expensive.

The Caribbean country has continued to trade with other nations, and depending on how fast the Cuban cigar industry could ramp up to meet the pent-up demand in the United States, the cigars would be even more pricey than they are already, Haddon said.

A recent auction of Cuban cigars brought in more than $800,000 in London.

Brad Stephens, who with his father, Bill Stephens, owns four shops that sell cigars in the Jackson area, said that thus far there have been only a few inquiries about the Cuban smokes.

If trade is fully re-established, however, the cigars will be the “greatest thing since sliced bread,” Brad Stephens said.

Seeds from Cuban tobacco plants have found their way to other nations, such as the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, which make fine cigars.

But there is a mystique about the former Spanish colony liberated by America after the Spanish-American War of 1898.

The soil is “rich, real soft, very nurturing,” Stephens said.

Two of the Stephenses’ shops have a smoking deck — the Havana Smoke Shoppe at 4760 Interstate 55 Frontage Road, and

Humidor: World’s Finest Cigars at 1378 W. Government in Brandon.

Haddon said he and future business partner Richard Burgardt patronized the first cigar shop in Jackson, the Habana Smoke Shoppe, which is no longer in business.

A small members-only area in the back of the Habana was reserved for smoking cigars.

Haddon and Burgardt liked its relaxed, melting-pot atmosphere.

“I remember many conversations where we had different points of view, but we’d sit there and kind of hash it out,” Haddon said.

That led Haddon and Burgardt to open a lounge, Godfather Cigars, three years ago in a small strip mall at 1149 Old Fannin Road near the Ross Barnett Reservoir.

The lounge features a bar and stools (no alcohol) where patrons can blow as much smoke as they want, surrounded by posters of cigar-smoking mafiosi both real (Al Capone) and movie actors, including Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in “The Godfather.”

Manager Joe Hill says that when he lights up it’s a “moment of Zen.” Haddon says cigars (he has an inventory of hundreds of brands in a controlled atmosphere room on the premises) are wrongly thrown into the cigarette camp. In recent years, ordinances in many cities have banned smoking in public places, whether private or public.

Mississippi had a lot to do with that perception of the habit.

It reached an unprecedented settlement with four large makers of cigarettes in 1997 on reimbursement of Medicaid costs linked to health problems related to smoking. That $3.4 billion case was followed the next year with a settlement of nearly $250 billion with most of the rest of the states. In addition to the cash settlements, advertising was severely restricted.

Most cigar smokers will tell you they don’t inhale, that nicotine content in cigars is not manipulated, unlike cigarettes’, hence there is relative safety. But medical researchers will tell you there is a cancer risk to the mouth.

Cigar makers have found a way to get their image before the public, though not broadly.

Pick up a copy of Cigar Aficionado magazine at a well-stocked newsstand and you’re liable to see a famous person on the cover, such as Matthew McConaughey, Robert Downey Jr. or even Justin Bieber.

In 1994, an edition had cigar-holding Fidel Castro on the cover and an exclusive interview with “El Presidente” inside. The current edition offers a free pocket guide to

Cuba with a subscription.

Jim and Gwen Reeves opened The Country Squire in 1970 in The Quarter on Lakeland Drive, where it still operates.

Gwen Reeves, who ran the shop after her husband passed away in 1981 until her death in 2012, was on a first-name basis with one of the great cigar families, Haddon said.

She could call Carlos Fuente Sr., son of legendary cigar maker Arturo Fuente, a Cuban emigre, and place special orders, Haddon added.

The Fuente family established a cigar factory in Tampa that eventually became a booming success after the embargo was imposed.

The Country Squire is 90 percent pipe tobacco and pipes, but the shop has begun setting up cigar bars at weddings, according Timothy Gatewood, a seminary

student who works in the shop.

The shop puts on a weekly podcast at country squire.com to spread the word about good tobacco.

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Have your business listed here! Contact your advertising representative at 601.364.1000

3

4 I Mississippi Business Journal I January 2, 2015

DeSoto 4.3 Tunica 11.9

MISSISSIPPI’S NOV. UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURES

UNITED STATES Labor Force Data Civilian Labor Force Unemployed Unemployment Rate (Adjusted) Unemployment Rate (Unadjusted) Employed STATE OF MISSISSIPPI Unemployment Insurance Data •• Initial UI Claims Continued Claims Benefits Paid Weeks Paid First Payments Final Payments Average Weekly Benefit

Tate 6.0

Oct ’14 1,256,000 91,400 7.6 7.3 1,164,600

Nov ’13 1,268,400 92,900 8.0 7.3 1,175,500

’13 Avg. 1,286,400 110,800 XXX 8.6 1,175,700

Coahoma 10.3

Yalobusha 7.2

Oct ’14 156,616,000 8,680,000 5.8 5.5 147,936,000

Nov 2014 8,882 63,015 $8,467,890 42,928 2,512 1,220 $197.26

Nov ’13 155,046,000 10,271,000 7.0 6.6 144,775,000

Oct 2014 8,671 65,370 $9,843,483 50,456 3,207 1,456 $195.09

’13 Avg. 155,389,000 11,460,000 XXX 7.4 143,929,000

Leflore 10.1

Tishomingo 6.8

Carroll 6.9

Montgomery 7.6

Humphreys 9.5

Holmes 12.3

Warren 7.1 Rankin 4.1

Hinds 5.6

Claiborne 10.6

Adams 6.8

Wilkinson 8.3

Winston 9.3

Leake 6.6

Neshoba 5.1

Scott 4.4

Newton 5.4

Franklin 7.0

Lincoln 6.1

Amite 7.2

Pike 7.2

4.1 - 4.7 4.8 - 7.0 7.1 - 10.9 11.0 - 13.3

Jasper 7.0

Smith 5.8

Simpson 5.2

Copiah 6.7

Covington Jones 5.3 4.7

Noxubee 12.9

Kemper 9.4

Walthall 8.1

Marion 7.3

Lamar 4.9

Pearl River 6.4

Hancock 6.3

Lauderdale 6.6

Clarke 6.7

Wayne 7.4

Lawrence Jeff Davis 6.8 7.5

Unemployment Rates ates

— Mississippi Department of Employment Security

Lowndes 7.5

Oktibbeha 6.1

Madison 4.7

Jefferson 11.0

** Average for most recent twelve months, including current month •• Unemployment Insurance amounts presented in this section only represent regular UI benefits, federal program amounts are not included.

Labor force amounts are produced in cooperation with the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Note: Unless indicated state and county data presented are not seasonally adjusted.

Monroe 9.4

Clay 13.3

Choctaw 7.2

Attala 9.0

Yazoo 8.2

Issaquena 10.7

Itawamba 6.2

Chickasaw 8.9

Webster 9.3

Washington 10.4

Moving Avg.** 155,829,000 9,754,000 XXX 6.3 146,075,000

Nov 2013 10,428 77,815 $10,785,328 57,654 3,421 1,831 $187.07

Calhoun 7.1

Grenada 6.5

Sunflower 10.9

Lee 6.6

Pontotoc 6.5

Quitman 9.3

Bolivar 7.7

Moving Avg.** 1,260,000 96,400 XXX 7.7 1,163,600

Lafayette 4.5

Sharkey 7.1

Nov ‘14 156,297,000 8,630,000 5.8 5.5 147,666,000

Alcorn 5.7

Tippah 8.0 Union 5.4

Tallahatchie 7.7

Nov ‘14 1,241,500 79,600 7.3 6.4 1,161,900

Benton 8.5

Prentiss 6.6

Panola 9.0

Labor force and employment security data STATE OF MISSISSIPPI Labor Force Data Civilian Labor Force Unemployed Unemployment Rate (Adjusted) Unemployment Rate (Unadjusted) Employed

Marshall 6.0

Forrest 5.8

Perry 6.3

Stone 6.1

Harrison 6.3

Greene 8.0

George 7.6

Jackson 6.9

Source: Labor Market Data Publication, November 2014 Design: Labor Market Information Department, MDES

Know of fraud or corruption in Gulf spill claims?

Do something about it:

stopfraud.gov Whatever you may think about BP, we can all agree that fraud and corruption are wrong. And with allegations of fraud and corruption in Gulf spill claims continuing to surface, there’s something you can do about it. If you know someone who has submitted or helped prepare a fraudulent claim, or if you have information about corruption, contact the federal government’s National Center for Disaster Fraud at 1-866-720-5721 or visit their website at stopfraud.gov.

You can remain anonymous and the call is toll-free. Federal law enforcement will investigate pertinent information, which can lead to the prosecution or recovery of fraudulent claims.

BP remains committed to paying all legitimate claims, and with your assistance, we can make sure that the people who receive claims awards actually deserve them.

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Website: www.msbusiness.com January 2, 2015 Volume 37, Number 1

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MBJPERSPECTIVE January 2, 2015 • www.msbusiness.com • Page 6

FROM THE GROUND UP BY PHIL HARDWICK

The crazy world of book buying, selling

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mazon has disrupted the book world again. Last year there was a dispute with a major publisher over who set the price of e-books - the publisher or the distributor. This time the quarrel is with selfpublished authors and others who view Amazon’s recently released Kindle Unlimited as a threat to the incomes of authors.

Kindle Unlimited is an Amazon subscription service that lets subscribers have access to over 700,000 titles for $9.99 per month.

Amazon says that the readers are the ones who benefit from what it is doing. This reader’s recent experience is a look at how the world of book buying and selling has gone crazy.

Like most writers, I read a lot. Especially when the book is written by a Mississippi author or the book is about Mississippi. Last year I discovered John Hailman, author of “From Midnight to Guntown.” The book is about Hailman’s experience as a federal prosecutor. He also was legal counsel to Senator Stennis when the senator chaired the Armed Services and Ethics committees during the Watergate era. But that is not all. He began his career as a journalist with the Washington Post. He later was a nationally syndicated wine, food and travel columnist for Gannett News Service, where he was featured for 15 years in 100 daily papers. An Indiana native, he is a Millsaps College graduate, and has a master’s degree from Tulane and a law degree from the University of Mississippi. He was also a Graduate Fellow in Trial Practice at the Georgetown University Law School. He also attended the Sorbonne and National School for Magistrates, both in Paris, as well as the Université Laval in Quebec.

It was a pleasant surprise to learn that Hailman’s pen – or keyboard – wrote about things other than crime. Recently I came across an article about his latest book, “The Search for Good Wine,” published by University Press. Having a slightly above average

interest in wine and having just returned from some time in Paris and Burgundy, France I just had to get Hailman's book on wine. Another influence was that he was a Mississippian. Hmm... a Mississippian and wine. That just doesn't seem to go together, does it? Alas, another reason to order the book. Off I went online in search of places to order the book. Being that today is the season of “After Christmas” the thought of a good deal entered my mind.

My first online stop was the website of University Press, the book’s publisher. It listed the price as $29.95 (cloth), plus $2.62 tax and $7.50 for shipping, for a total of $40.07.

Next was Amazon.com, which offered a variety of prices. They were as follows: Hardcover (?) version for $22.19, plus $4.98 shipping = $27.17; “New” — 34 from $16.86, plus $3.99 shipping = $20.85; “Used” — 10 from $15.11, plus $3.99 shipping = $19.10; and Kindle edition for $16.49.

Further searching revealed that Target.com offered the book for $9.19, plus $2.79 shipping and $.84 tax, for a total of $12.82.

Finally, I checked my local independent bookstore, Lemuria Books, and discovered that it had the book in stock at a price of $29.95, plus tax of $3.97, for a total of $32.34.

However, there was something special about this copy of the book. It was a signed, first edition. Because I live about a mile from this bookstore I did not consider shipping costs.

So there it is. My choices are to buy the physical book online, where the price range is from $12.82 to $40.07 delivered to my doorstep or drive a mile and pay $32.34 for a signed first edition. And, of course, there is the Kindle edition, which is a click away for $16.49.

This episode illustrates how traditional book publishing has morphed into a totally new business model. Under the old model the publisher controlled the publishing and

» HOW TO WRITE Letters to the editor are one of the most widely read features of the Mississippi Business Journal, and they give everyone a chance to voice their opinions about current affairs.

We’re interested in what you think and we welcome Letters to the Editor for publication. Here are the guidelines: >> Letters should not exceed 300 words in length as a general rule. >> All letters must bear the writer’s address and telephone number. Street addresses and telephone numbers will not be published, but may be used for verification purposes. Letters may not appear without the author’s name. >> Form letters, thank you letters and letters to third parties generally are not acceptable. >> Letters must be typed or e-mailed. >> Letters must conform to good taste, not be libelous and not involve personal attacks

the distribution of a book. Except for the superstars, most authors made relatively Phil Hardwick little money. In this new model the distributor has more control. Authors do not need to get an agent, have their work submitted to a publisher and receive a royalty check every six months. They can self-publish their books, set their own price, have them listed on Amazon.com and receive a much greater share of the sales proceeds. Under the new model, book sales increased and more authors received more money. In 2010, Amazon had 600,000 e-books in its Kindle store. Today it has more than three million.

Revenue from e-books in 2013 was near $3 billion, after increasing nearly 50 percent in 2012, according to BookStats.

If the publishers’ oxen were getting gored by the new model that favored authors, it is now authors who say that this even newer model, the Kindle Unlimited, will cut into their revenue. They worry that if they do not participate their books will not be promoted.

After two months in the Kindle Unlimited program some self-published authors have found that their revenues have dropped substantially. In short, what we have now is too much competition.

From a reader’s standpoint, things could not be much better. Prices are lower and more books are available in more formats than ever. Books are also available at more locations.

So there in the offering of one book is an illustration of the now crazy, fascinating world of book buying and selling. » Phil Hardwick is a regular Mississippi Business Journal columnist and CEO of The Hardwick Company, LLC, which provides strategic planning facilitation and leadership training services. His email is phil@philhardwick. com and he’s on the web at www.philhardwick.com.

on other persons. >> All letters are subject to editing,andbecomethepropertyofthe MississippiBusinessJournal. >> Letters can be sent to The Editor, The Mississippi Business Journal, 200 North Congress, Suite 400, Jackson, MS 39201, delivered to the newspaper during regular business hours or emailed to editor@msbusiness.com. They may also be faxed to Ross Reily at (601)-364-1007.

» CORRECTIONS The Mississippi Business Journal takes seriously its responsibility to provide accurate information, and will correct or clarify articles produced by the editorial department if we have made an error or published misleading information. The correction will be placed in the perspective section.

If you see inaccuracies in Mississippi Business Journal news stories, please report the mistake via e-mail at editor@msbusiness.com.

PERSPECTIVE

January 2, 2015 I Mississippi Business Journal

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7

» RICKY NOBILE » STORM RECOVERY

MEMA hoping for federal aid to Columbia tornado victims COLUMBIA — The Federal Emergency Management Agency and Small Business Administration joined Mississippi and local officials to tour the Columbia area, as well as Jones and Lamar counties that were hit by tornadoes and high winds on Dec. 23.

Robert Latham Jr., executive director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, tells the Hattiesburg American the tour was to be completed Tuesday.

Latham says information gathered by FEMA and the SBA could results in federal assistance. That assistance could include money for the repair and reconstruction of public infrastructure and buildings and grants for individual homeowners and renters.

MEMA officials said initial numbers from the Dec. 23 storms show 241 total homes and 77 businesses suffered some damage in three Mississippi counties. There were five deaths and 50 reported injuries.

— from staff and MBJ wire services

»INSIDE MISSISSIPPI

Investing in our state’s furious football future

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efore this column goes to print, Mississippi State and Ole Miss will both have played in major bowls – the Orange and the Peach. State and Ole Miss fans are counting on this season’s success leading to greater opportunities in the coming years: SEC Titles, College Football Playoffs and National Championships.

In their delirium, the Rebel Nation has already signed Coach Hugh Freeze to a contract giving him an annual salary of $4 million plus. Mississippi State will offer Coach Dan Mullen a similar contract in the coming days or they might wait and see if he can figure out how to beat Georgia Tech without a Defensive Coordinator.

Who would have thought it possible? $4 million to coach football at Ole Miss? $4 million to coach football at Mississippi State? Haver people lost their collective minds?

Less than a decade ago, academia and the media went apoplectic when the University of Alabama paid Nick Saban $4 million. Saban had already won a National Championship. Neither Freeze nor Mullen have come close. Yes, their teams were a couple of victories away from a chance to play for a national championship this year, but in a 12-game season that’s not really saying all that much.

This is just the beginning of Coach-flation. So get ready, well-invested alums. The new playoff system and more lucrative television deals will bring in even more revenue to college football programs and it is going to get crazy!

For the folks in Ann Arbor, the price for a competitive college coach is doubling. That’s right, the University of Michigan, whose Wolverines are about as relevant as those in the Red Dawn remake, are paying more than $8 million for the coach they want.

No matter what your personal paycheck looks like, the U.S. economy is obviously booming if public universities can find ways to pay this much for a football coach.

In all fairness, being a college football coach takes a of heck of a lot more work, dedication, and attention to detail than being a professor in bio mechanics, law, or English lit.

It’s more time consuming and draining than being a Uni-

versity President. It’s why only a chosen few are really good at it.

It’s why programs, like State and Ole Miss, are no longer interested in paying for just winning seasons. They are paying for championships. If a coach doesn’t get one, or at least get really, really close, he’s done.

That’s why Ole Miss is throwing all of their chips behind Freeze and why Mississippi State will likely come close to matching Freeze’s salary for Mullen. (Personal aside: As a humble State fan, I’d like to encourage MSU Athletic Director Scott Stricklin not to pay Dan the Man a penny more until he wins more Egg Bowls than Freeze…. which gives me a terrific idea. More on that later.)

Keeping a quality football coach on campus builds the continuity necessary to build a program that can win for long haul. Both Mullen and Freeze have proven to be tireless workers and winners. But can they lead our perennial bottom feeders to win year in and year out in the the toughest division in the toughest conference in football? At $4 million the heat is on.

Mullen’s said, “If they come, we will build it.” MSU has built “it.” Trying to coordinate how a single State fan rings a cowbell is a feat; orchestrating how an entire stadium of State fans ring them is like herding 65,000 feral cats for a Meow Mix commercial. Football analysts have said all year the Bulldogs have built one of the best in-game stadium experiences in the country. Everyone should visit Davis Wade at least once in their life, just don’t forget your earplugs.

Freeze is obviously the best recruiter in Mississippi, maybe in the nation. He’s been able to go toe-to-toe with Saban in signing nationally ranked prospects. No coach anywhere is better able to motivate a group of young men than Hugh Freeze, not to mention getting them on the straight and narrow. His pregame speeches are the stuff of legend.

If Freeze stays in Oxford for twenty years he will end up more revered than the legendary Johnny Vaught. “The Freeze” or “Mr. Freezemeister” could end up a bigger coaching legend than “The Bear” or “The Great Saban.” It’s no longer a pipe dream, Ole Miss fans, Freeze had what cer-

tainly looked to be a national championship team this year. With his ability to locate and sign top talent, he will only get better.

David Dallas Mullen will prove a great foil. His outspoken, painfully direct approach to his work is not going to win any popularity contests. Still, since his arrival in Starkville, Mullen has done much more despite having less talent and resources than his rival up north. His team was ranked Number One for most of the season and was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, not once, but twice; cursedly coinciding with his teams two losses.

Based on an excellent season and all the national attention, the universities and the taxpayers of Mississippi are investing in our football future.

Freeze and Mullen are the state’s highest paid public employees. While it is true that the bulk of their salaries are paid for with private donations to the the Universities’ Athletic Foundations, nearly $1 million of your state tax dollars will be used to keep Freeze and Mullen neck deep in the madness that is football in Mississippi… until one or both ends up being fired.

But where else would you want your state tax dollars to go? Would you rather watch your child’s public school teachers or your State Legislators doing their job?

Can these $4 million coaches keep doing us all proud?

Here’s a sure-fire way to make sure at least one of them does. The total amount of money they receive from the State should be pooled together and used more as an incentive to win when it counts.

Imagine the excitement and electricity if we could offer the nearly $1 million as a prize for whichever of them wins the Egg Bowl. The players could hoist the Golden Egg after the victory and either Freeze or Mullen could hold up a fat check from Mississippi’s taxpayers. Hotty Toddy and Hail State! » David Dallas is a political writer. He worked for former U.S. Sen. John Stennis and authored Barking Dawgs and A Gentleman from Mississippi.

January 2, 2015 • MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS JOURNAL • www.msbusiness.com

AN MBJ FOCUS:

LAW & ACCOUNTING PROFILE: DR. KIMBERLY G. BURKE

Dean’s lessons reach beyond classroom

By BECKY GILLETTE mbj@msbusiness.com

Dr. Kimberly G. Burke, dean of the Else School of Management at Millsaps College and professor of accounting, said she was “surprised and delighted” by being receiving the 2014 Outstanding Educator Award from the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants.

“This was a completely unexpected honor,” Burke said.

But it came as no surprise to colleagues and those who have sat in her classrooms.

“Dr. Burke is a professor who made students think critically about the real world application of their studies,” said former student Drew Moroux, an audit associate at KPMB in Jackson. “She has an enthusiasm for educating that is inspiring. She garners the respect of her co-workers and

students through her genuine care for their interests, desires, and successes.”

Moroux said whether through case study, written essay, or traditional examination, Burke challenges students to reach their full potential with not only debits and credits, but further encourages debate of topics such as ethics and problem solving.

“Dr. Burke is an educator whose lessons reach beyond the boundaries of the classroom and into the lives and careers of her students,” he said.

Dr. S. Keith Dunn, senior vice president of academic affairs and dean of the college, said Burke is a great example of the teacher/scholar model prevalent among Millsaps College faculty.

“She is a leader in her academic field, an outstanding teacher and mentor for our students, and an able administrator who consistently facilitates the success of her

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faculty colleagues,” Dunn said. “We couldn’t be more proud of her accomplishments.”

When Burke started college, she planned to major in music or psychology. A friend persuaded her to take accounting Dr. Kimberly G. Burke with him one semester. She didn’t find it easy.

“I was shocked to discover that my accounting professor was talking about the subject as though she were speaking a language I had never heard,” Burke said. “Accounting was a real challenge for me, and I got really caught up in mastering it.”

She was in the masters of accounting program at Texas Tech when her major professor asked her to cover his class for a few weeks, which ended up lasting the whole semester. She fell in love with teaching in the first week, and knew she I would continue teaching for the rest of her life.

“Even when I went to work in public accounting and later as a director of internal audit, I always knew I would stop one day, get my doctorate and teach,” Burke said. “I enjoy the challenge of making accounting accessible and fun for my students. The real payoff comes when students who have been struggling or have come to the class reluctantly suddenly figure it out and find some fun in what they’re doing.”

Burke has been involved in doing research. What she finds most rewarding is when they discover a new question that no one has researched, and then put their heads together to structure hypotheses and find solutions.

Some polls show that being a college professor is considered one of the best jobs a person can have. Burke said the dean who hired her at Millsaps College was Dr. Hugh Parker.

“He once told me that being a professor is the closest you can get to being self-employed without the risk,” Burke said. “He was absolutely right. Being a professor provides incredible freedom in terms of how you work and an opportunity to mentor and guide students as they find their way through college into the professional world.”

The world of accounting has undergone

tremendous sea changes in the 19 years Burke has been involved with the profession. When she entered the profession, they were still using multi-column ledger paper, and “portable computers” that weighed about 50 pounds were just entering the market.

Today, her classroom is almost paperless, and students typically have two or three devices on them at any time.

“Technology has given significant freedom to teachers in accounting to concentrate more on theory and practice, rather than on ‘ticking and tying’ the financial statements,” she said.

Burke said the ultimate challenge of teaching accounting is to create a learning environment that borrows situations from the real world where students can practice making good decisions under less than ideal circumstances. She said it is working with those ‘less than ideal’ circumstances that help students find the fun and excitement in accounting.

In her off time, Burke spends as much time as possible with her husband, her daughter, and their three dogs. Many weekends in the fall and spring, you will find her sitting on the bleachers, watching her 12-year-old daughter, Kelsey, compete in gymnastics.

“She’s an amazing athlete and we travel a lot for her competitions,” Burke said. “Any time I have some downtime, you can find me with my Kindle; I carry it with me everywhere in case I can catch a few minutes to read. I’m a voracious reader of virtually any fiction or nonfiction.”

Burke will receive the award during the 2015 Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants convention in Sandestin, Fla. Burke was recognized for her 19 years of teaching experience, more than 20 peerreviewed publications, numerous proceedings and research presentations. Burke is also the author of several continuing education courses offered through the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

In 2008, Burke was recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education as the Mississippi Professor of the Year. She also helps Millsaps graduates secure jobs with leading accounting firms and has established an executive shadowing program for accounting students.

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10 I Mississippi Business Journal I January 2, 2015 THE SPIN CYCLE

The 14 biggest #PRFails of 2014 A

s we launch a new year – and new beginnings in brand building in an evolving era of digital communications, The Spin Cycle is in a reflective mood, contemplating on the PR, marketing, advertising and branding initiatives in 2014. There were plenty of banner positive brand moments in the past year, but there were also some epic PR fails.

PR fails are those instances when a brand or personality just loses its for a moment. Unlike the year’s real “losers” (cough…Uber…sniff…American Apparel…hack…Lululemon), these juggernauts of jocularity can provide us with a bit of holiday comedy, after which we can all stand and applaud the fact that we were not in any way involved.

Without further ado, and with help from our friends at Media Bistro, here are the worst 14 #PRFails of 2014.

14. Paramount Pictures. Motion picture companies typically nail the marketing for summer blockbusters like Michael Bay’s catastrophic revision of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Regretfully, I was one of the bums who showed up to the theaters with son in tow, but it’s a good thing that special event with my boy wasn’t in Australia. The movie premiered in the land down under on Sept. 11, and the campaign unfortunately reminded quite a few of something that no one can (or should) ever forget. Unintentional marketing screw-up? Sure.

But it was also the very definition of tactlessness and lack of self-awareness.

13. Zara’s Holocaust Fashion. Haute couture is a fancy way of saying “things no average person would wear but can make headlines during fashion week in NYC.” Fashion retailer Zara thought it could combine high and lowbrow with this catchy “just escaped from prison” get up, but those with some basic knowledge of history noticed how closely the garment resembled those worn by prisoners in World War II, right down to the not-quite-Star of David over the left breast.

12. Esurance’s Choice in Fonts. Many studies (like this great one from Complex) conclude that you are what you type. And fonts can say a lot: Comic Sans is fit for bulletin boards, not email signatures or notes to the boss. Many brands go with something firm, bold, and a little artsy to reinforce the fact that they’re “market-leading” and “horizon-scanning.” Esurance chose a modern, sans-serif font, but it seems they didn’t really look closely at the resulting sign. Twitter did, however – and many innuendo-filled headlines ensued.

11. Apple & U2. For all the humanitarian efforts Bono does and charity concerts his band has performed you’d think the public had saved the world’s biggest mulligan with their names on it. But, as the iPhone 6 launch proved, rock stars get no reprieves. Free albums automatically downloaded to your phone don’t seem like a burden – but we also thought Apple would do better than Microsoft and its Office auto-uploads. More than 500 million users had the album whether they wanted it or not, and more than $100 million was invested in this convoluted “campaign.” Unfortunately for all parties, forcing your way into consumers’ lives is never a good idea.

10. Puma’s #FastForever. If you follow “the real football” – as our friends across the pond call it – then you know this screw-up by heart. Although Puma is a brand many of us equate with a better time in the ’80s or ’90s, many in the soccer community snickered their way through the latest chapter of “when hashtags attack.” What was supposed to be a way for fans to earn signed pictures of Puma-wearing athletes became a dystopian experience of what happens when you give bad people technology and allow them to personalize things.

9. DiGiorno’s #WhyIStayed. More hashtagging gone awry happened when a brand that is usually genius at the newsjacking thing detoured and ran right into a topical wall. #WhyIS-

tayed was a social media conversation featuring testimony from domestic violence victims who chose to remain in damaging relationships in the wake of the Ray/Janay Rice story.

DiGiorno looked at the “trending” list and tweeted before it clicked on the hashtag in question; outrage ensued. To the brand’s credit, some pizza guy followed with a series of personal apologies. Lesson learned; don’t tweet before you think (or click).

8. Urban Outfitters’ Kent State Homage. Selling outrageously offensive/not-quite-clever merchandise is this brand’s bailiwick. But, ICYMI: In 1970, the National Guard sent troops to Kent State in response to student protests; the soldiers fired 67 bullets in 13 seconds, killing four students and injuring nine others. It’s possible that the person who approved this shirt was unaware of that tragic historical reference, 7. Malaysian Airlines’ “Bucket List.” 2014 was nothing but tragic for this beleaguered airline, with two crashes (one still not confirmed via CNN) and hundreds of lives lost. In an effort to save itself, the company decided to rebrand and subsequently fire more than 6,000 people. It needed something to win attention – a stunt, a contest. Someone thought that reminding fliers of their own mortality (and a critically panned Jack Nicholson vehicle) would be a fine idea. The site and related campaign disappeared, but not before more than enough damage had been done to an already-flailing business.

6. Robin Thicke’s Twitter Q&A. TwitChats can be effective tools to increase awareness of a brand, but controversy and social media rarely make for pleasant bedfellows. Middle-aged crooner Robin Thicke was in the middle of a depressing divorce and widely circulated reports of bad behavior but that didn’t stop him from reaching out to his fans.

5. AOL’s Chairman Blames Employees’ Sick Kid. Tim Armstrong has a difficult job as CEO of a once-relevant company now best known as a cautionary tale. And the guy comes under a little stress from time to time. Early in 2014, Armstrong was one of many to complain about the Affordable Care Act’s flawed attempts to give health insurance to more Americans. In a heated moment recorded for posterity, he “unintentionally” bashed two of his own employees after their “distressed babies” cost the company millions of dollars. He may have seen his decision to cut said employees’ benefits as a necessary cost of doing business, but the optics were terrible from every angle.

4. #MyNYPD. DISCLAIMER: These men and women deserve the respect of the people they protect on a daily basis.

That said, New York’s finest kind of asked for this one. It’s no secret that tension between the public and its civil servants is escalating, and earlier this year the NYPD thought it would be a good idea to disprove its unpopularity by asking Twitter for support via the hashtag #MyNYPD. As we now know, many instead used the tag to share the very worst of the NYPD – and the organization took far too long to realize that Twitter’s wide-open nature often ensures that any trace of positive sentiment will be buried at the bottom of a given tag’s search results.

3. NBA Players & Their Bigoted Owners. You couldn’t miss it: owners of teams in a league that overwhelmingly employs black athletes decided to share their (unwanted) thoughts on contemporary race relations. Donald Sterling (formerly of the L.A. Clippers), Bruce Levenson (formerly of the Atlanta Hawks), and Peter Guber (still presently with the Golden State Warriors) each had a different excuse: one blamed his mistress, the other blamed his fans, and the last blamed Siri.

2. Bill Cosby and The Meme That Started It All. No one knew that Dr. Huxtable was going to have such a terrible year. While everyone is rightly focused on his alleged misbehavior, a simple joke compounded by yet another failed “meme me” cam-

paign escalated his downward spiral.

The newly media-shy Bill Cosby’s Todd Smith handlers asked for attention at the worst possible time – and boy, did Twitter deliver. Of course, the aforementioned allegations were “memed” immediately to disastrous effect, and we have little doubt that Cosby wondered why his social media managers assured him that it would be a great idea.

1. The NFL Can’t Decide Where It Stands. The AP’s “Top Sports Story of the Year” showed the world what inept management can do for any organization – even one as impenetrable as the National Football League. From Ray Rice knocking his wife out in an elevator to Adrian Peterson getting at his son with a switch, Greg Hardy body slamming his girlfriend onto a bed full of semi-automatic guns and Ray McDonald playing most of the year despite a pending indictment, the NFL seemed unwilling to recognize that the behavior of its employees reflects upon the culture of the organization itself – and offended members of its most important demographic in the process.

It’s true that NFL Commish Roger Goodell still has a job, that no one in the NFL legal department has been fired, and that no one seems to be protesting the games. But that’s not because the league’s reputation hasn’t suffered a critical blow.

The league’s poor excuse for a strategy amounts to the worst #PRFail of the year because Goodell counts on fan loyalty to ensure that the organization he runs remains one of the most profitable on Earth. When we asked five experts to weigh in on the league’s attempts to “combat domestic violence” within its ranks, they were decidedly unimpressed.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Golden Mic | Sony Amid a swell of controversy, backlash, confusion and threats, Sony Pictures broadly released “The Interview” online and in select theaters nationwide — an unprecedented counterstroke against the hackers who spoiled the Christmas opening of the comedy depicting the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. “It has always been Sony’s intention to have a national platform on which to release this film,” Sony Pictures chair and CEO Michael Lynton said in a statement. “We chose the path of digital distribution first so as to reach as many people as possible on opening day, and we continue to seek other partners and platforms to further expand the release.”

“The Interview” became available on a variety of digital platforms afternoon, including Google Play, YouTube Movies, Microsoft’s Xbox Video and a separate Sony website, a day after Sony and independent theaters agreed to release it in over 300 venues on Christmas. The wide digital release is the culmination of a set of deals that have been in the works since the major theater chains dropped the movie that was to have opened on up to 3,000 screens.

Good for Sony, for free speech and artistic freedom. For that, Sony takes the Golden Mic. Each week, The Spin Cycle will bestow a Golden Mic Award to the person, group or company in the court of public opinion that best exemplifies the tenets of solid PR, marketing and advertising – and those who don’t. Stay tuned – and step-up to the mic! And remember … Amplify Your Brand!

Todd Smith is president and chief communications officer of Deane, Smith & Partners, a full-service branding, PR, marketing and advertising firm with offices in Jackson. The firm — based in Nashville, Tenn. — is also affiliated with Mad Genius. Contact him at todd@deanesmithpartners.com, and follow him @spinsurgeon.

January 2, 2015

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» MISSISSIPPI LEADERS by Martin Willoughby

Ignoring fear Entrepreneur has courage to drive business forward

L

eadership takes courage. Your decisions will not always be popular.

Sometimes, you will need to persevere in the face of strong opposition. However, true leaders have a moral courage that allows them to press onward. Nelson Mandela once said, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

Legendary actor John Wayne stated it this way, “Courage is being scared to death—but saddling up anyway.” Leaders understand that while fear can creep in, it can’t keep you from pushing forward.

My interviewee this week, Cary Crawley, President of Mississippi Iron Works, is one of those entrepreneurial leaders who has the courage and persistence to drive his organization to success. Crawley, a Clinton native, started Mississippi Iron Works in 1985, and he still leads the outside sales team.

With over 29 employees, he has grown the company to be a leading provider of iron doors, handrails and fences for commercial and residential. Crawley understands that for any company to succeed you have to have SALES. I personally have seen many companies with great products and people, but no ability to sell. Unfortunately, most of those businesses are no longer around.

Up Close With ... Cary Crawley Title: President, Mississippi Iron Works in Jackson, which makes steel security doors.

Favorite Books: Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl; The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz; and The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino First Job: Delivering parts for Clinton Auto Supply Proudest Moment as a Leader: When I realized Mississippi Iron Works was providing for 30 families and their children. That’s what drives me now. Your employees are your responsibility – and you have to consider their families as well.

Crawley learned the importance of selling early in his life. He shared, “My mother was in the direct sales business, and I began working with her during summers. She taught me the importance of effective selling.” Crawley said that two of the most influential quotes that have inspired him are Churchill’s famous statement, “Never, never give up. Success is not final and failure is not fatal. It’s the courage to continue that counts.” He also pointed to famed football coach Vince Lombardi who said, “The only

place success comes before work is in the dictionary.”

As a leader, Crawley believes it is important to set the example for his team. In his organization, this means that he is often on the front lines meeting with customers and calling on prospective customers. He noted, “I have always had the unique desire to get out and make sales calls — even cold calling.

My philosophy is Whatever It Takes!”

Crawley went on to note, “The formula for failure is sitting behind a desk waiting for

“My mother was in the direct sales business, and I began working with her during summers. She taught me the importance of effective selling.”

Cary Crawley, President, Mississippi Iron Works

the phone to ring.

Why put off for another minute something that can help you and your company now?”

It is natural to let fear creep in when faced with the chal- Martin Willoughby lenges of running a successful business.

However, Crawley emphasized, “Don’t ever let fear prevent you from being successful.

The only way to cure fear is to take action.

Inaction leaves you paralyzed.”

Dale Carnegie once said, “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” Crawley also emphasizes the importance of delegation. He noted, “Focus on the one thing you can do BEST – and do alone – and go do it! If somebody can do something 80% as well as you can – then let them do it. Delegating is not abdicating – don’t pass the buck without making sure it gets done. You still need to be there to manage. Periodically check to ensure it’s getting done properly.”

Sometimes, being an effective leader means summoning the courage to proceed in the face of fear.

We have to “saddle up” and press on. For leaders and entrepreneurs, it is not the absence of fear to strive for, but the courage to lead in spite of it. I was inspired by Crawley’s focus and persistence as a leader, and I know he will continue to be successful because of it.

Martin Willoughby is a business consultant and regular contributing columnist for the Mississippi Business Journal. He serves as Chief Operating Officer of Butler Snow Advisory Services, LLC and can be reached at martin.willoughby@ butlersnow.com.

BOOKBIZ — Looking back at favorite books reviewed in 2014 The end of the year brings all sorts of lists of the top this or that. It's been a practice of Book Biz to list picks and pans of books read and reviewed during the year. But this year I'm only listing favorite books — works of fiction. The other Book Biz reviewer will chime in with non-fiction books that are her year's favorites.

As soon as I'd read the first few pages of All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr I knew it would be at the top of my list for 2014. It seems I'm not alone. Doerr is collecting accolades everywhere and is the number one choice for the year by the editors of The New York Times. That isn't surprising as it's a beautifully written book and tells a heart gripping story. Doerr is a talented wordsmith and I hope he writes more books. This latest gem was 10 years in the making so we may not have anything soon. The time spent shows in his attention to detail, historical accuracy and supremely told story.

My two runner-up favorites are The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton DiSclafani and Painted Horses by Malcolm Brooks. Both are excellent reading and I highly recommend them.

Lynn’s choice

— Lynn Lofton, mbj@msbusiness.com

Beth Macy’s Factory Man, a masterful portrait of a feisty Virginia furniture company owner fighting the effects of Chinese imports on his business, tops my list of best non-fiction books from last year. The book reads nearly like a novel, with so much family infighting, international intrigue, and truly outrageous characters that it’s easy to forget at times that what you’re reading about really happened.

It’s book that both educates and entertains. I learned a lot about the history of American furniture builders and also about the loss of American factory jobs to the ever-increasing trend of offshoring production (and all the attendant politics that go along with that). The book’s protagonist, John D. Bassett III, while undoubtedly a difficult person, is someone you’d want on your side if you were fighting to preserve jobs here.

My other two choices for excellent non-fiction books I read and reviewed this year would be Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much, by Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir, and The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg.

Scarity, in particular, is a book that has really stayed with me. I often find myself thinking about the concepts and ideas explored in that book. They’re invaluable when trying to understand the actions and decisions of people operating with either a poverty of resources or time.

Here’s to a 2015 filled with even more great books!

LouAnn’s choice

— LouAnn Lofton, mbj@msbusiness.com

NEWSMAKERS

12 I Mississippi Business Journal I January 2, 2015

Jackson presented award Dr. Gary Jackson, director of the Mississippi State University Extension Service, has received the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation Distinguished Service Award for 2014. The award was presented during the organization’s annual membership meeting in December.

Jackson has served as director of the MSU Extension Service for four years, and during that time, has initiated a process of reorganization and strategic planning to reconnect the Extension Service to citizens across the state of Mississippi.

The Distinguished Service Award is the highest honor Farm Bureau bestows on an individual, and it is reserved for someone who has truly made a difference in the lives of Mississippi farmers.

Community promotes 6 Greg Moore, president and CEO of Community Bank recently announced six promotions: Jason Sykes has been promoted to Vice President for Community Bank’s Mortgage Division. Sykes has been with Community Bank for 3 1/2 years and has served as a Mortgage Loan Originator. His new duties will now include recruiting and training of all new Mortgage Officers while continuing to assist Sykes customers with their home financing needs. He is also the recipient of the Community Bank Rainmaker Award for the past two years.

Sykes has attended the University of Southern Mississippi where he studied Finance and Music. Active in the community, he is a member of Crossgates Baptist Church where he is a member of the Children’s Education Leadership and involved in other ministries. He and his wife, Olivia, reside in Brandon with their 3 children: Ethan, Mallory and Liam.

Martha Armstrong House has been promoted to Branch Officer for Community Bank’s office in Madison. House has been with Community Bank for 22 years and has served as a customer service representative, teller supervisor and loan assistant. Her new duties will now include management of the day to House day operations of the Madison office while continuing to supervise the tellers and work as a customer service representative.

House is a graduate of Mississippi State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, majoring in Management. Active in the community, she is Life Loyal Member of Delta Delta Delta Sorority; an Ambassador for the City of Madison Chamber of Commerce and a member of Christ United Methodist Church in Jackson.

Brandy Bryant has been promoted to Branch Administration Officer for Community Bank’s office in Flowood. Bryant has been with Community Bank for seven years and has served as a customer service representative, teller supervisor and loan assistant. Her new duties will now include management of the Bryant day to day operations of the Flowood office while continuing to assist customers

outcomes for patients and strengthen the muscles to restore function.

Reeves earned a bachelor’s degree in education of the deaf from USM, where she also received a master’s degree in education of the deaf with emphasis in counseling and a second master’s degree in speechlanguage pathology. She is board certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and certified in Council on Education of the Deaf.

Speech-Language Pathology is located in Hattiesburg Clinic’s Ear, Nose & Throat building at 1605 South 28th Ave. For information, call 601-579-3310.

USM alumnus gives $65K in child’s memory With a recent gift of $65,000 to The University of Southern Mississippi Foundation, Southern Miss alumnus Ed Williamson and his wife, Gloria, are enhancing the legacy of their daughter’s love for others through the Ashley Dawn Williamson Memorial Scholarship Fund for NonTraditional Students.

The Williamsons established the endowment with a gift of $50,000 in 2001. Inspired by Ashley Dawn’s concern for a friend who became a single parent in high school and could not advance her education, the Williamsons created the scholarship for the purpose of providing assistance to students who are parents with financial needs.

The intent of the scholarship is to provide assistance for students who carry additional financial burdens as parents.

Ashley Dawn had just completed her sophomore year at Philadelphia High School when when she was killed in a car accident in 1986. She had planned to attend Southern Miss.

Williamson is a 1968 graduate of Southern with their financing and deposit needs.

Bryant is a graduate of Northwest Rankin High School and has attended Hinds Community College.

Active in the community, she is a member of the Flowood Rotary Club where she serves as treasurer and Preschool Director for Park Place Baptist Church.

She is also an active volunteer at Park Place Christian Academy, the Rankin County Chamber of Commerce and the Flowood Chamber of Commerce. She resides in Pearl with her husband of 15 years, Jason Bryant, and their two children, Blake (12) and Katie (10).

Natalie Latham has been promoted to Vice President for Community Bank’s holding company in the Marketing Department. Latham joined Community Bank in 2005, and has served in the Marketing Department. Latham, a Clinton native, is a graduate of Mississippi State University with a Bache- Latham lors of Business Administration, majoring in Marketing.

Active in the community, Latham volunteers with the American Lung Association and as the PVO President for Highland Bluff Elementary. She also is a long time member of the Flowood Chamber Board of Directors and is currently serving as the 2014 President.

She and her husband, Jason Latham, have two children, Taylor and Tyler, and attend Pinelake Church in Brandon.

Melissa Anderson has been promoted to Deposit Administration Officer for Community Bank’s holding company. Anderson joined Community Bank in 2005, starting as a teller in the Meridian office. She joined the holding company in 2008 as a Deposit Administration Assistant.

Anderson is a 2005 graduate of Mississippi State University with a Bachelors of Science in Business

MGCCC’s Wells chosen

Courtesy USM

Ashley Dawn Williamson was killed in a car accident in 1986..

Miss.

To date, the Ashley Dawn Williamson Memorial Scholarship Fund for Non-Traditional Students has awarded nearly $22,000 in scholarships to help students at Southern Miss achieve their educational goals.

Administration. Active in the community, Anderson is very involved with her church, First Baptist Church of Mendenhall.

She and her husband, Mylan Anderson, reside in Puckett with their son, Collier.

Mondria Tyler-Sheriff has been promoted to Head Teller for Community Bank’s office on Anderson Old Canton Road.

Sheriff currently attends Belhaven University where she is a junior in the Adult & Graduate Degree Program. She currently holds a 4.0 GPA and plans to obtain her Bachelor degree in Management by December 2016 and her Masters in Leadership by 2017. She resides in Jackson Tyler-Sheriff with her husband of 21 years, Bryan, and their three children, Bryan, Jr., (21), Nadia (17) and Camryn (12).

VitalStim therapy offered Susan F. Reeves, MS, CCCSLP, with Hattiesburg Clinic Speech-Language Pathology, is now offering VitalStim Therapy, a treatment to strengthen swallowing muscles in patients who suffer from dysphagia (difficulty swallowing).

This non-invasive method uses electrical stimulation and Reeves swallowing exercises to re-educate muscles required for swallowing. The combination of techniques can produce more effective

Teresa Wells, Language Arts instructor at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Jefferson Davis Campus, has been selected as a Phi Theta Kappa Faculty Scholar. Faculty Scholars serve as seminar leaders at Phi Theta Kappa's Annual Honors Institute that will be held at the University of New Mexico in Al- Wells buquerque in June 2015.

Faculty Scholars will participate in the two-part Faculty Scholar Conference at Phi Theta Kappa’s Center for Excellence in Jackson in January to prepare for their leadership role during the summer institute.

Wells has been a Phi Theta Kappa adviser since May 2007.

Only 28 Phi Theta Kappa chapter advisers were selected from nearly 3,000 of their peers to serve as 2015 Faculty Scholars. They were selected through an application process based on knowledge of the 20142015 Honors Study Topic, “Frontiers and the Spirit of Exploration,” and demonstrated excellence in teaching or administration. The selection committee also considered where the applicant lives, the Phi Theta Kappa division in which they advise, the teaching or professional discipline and the variety in terms of the number of years the applicant has served as a chapter adviser. The result is intended to be a strong, diverse group of Faculty Scholars.

During Honors Institute, the Faculty Scholars will lead groups of 15 to 20 honor students in seminar discussions of the issues presented by experts on the Honors Study Topic throughout the week. A second Faculty Scholar Conference will be held in the days leading up to Honors Institute.

Wells has been a full-time instructor at MGCCC since 2005 and teaches Honors and Language Arts classes at the freshman and sophomore levels.

Tauzin gets top award Todd Tauzin, a Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Advisor in Jackson is receiving the company’s Top 20 award based on his year of helping clients.

Northwestern Mutual recognized Tauzin at its 134th annual meeting in Milwaukee.

Tauzin

For announcements in Newsmakers; Contact: Frank Brown (601) 364-1022 • frank.brown@msbusiness.com