MBJ_TopTech-2017

Special Publication of the

2017

Special Publication of the

2017 CLASS MBJ Staff ALAN TURNER Publisher alan.turner@msbusiness.com • 601-364-1021 TAMI JONES Associate Publisher tami.jones@msbusiness.com • 601-364-1011 ROSS REILY Editor ross.reily@msbusiness.com • 601-364-1018 FRANK BROWN Staff Writer/Special Projects frank.brown@msbusiness.com • 601-364-1022 JACK WEATHERLY Staff Writer jack.weatherly@msbusiness.com • 601-364-1016 VIRGINIA HODGES Account Executive virginia.hodges@msbusiness.com • 601-364-1012

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HUNTER ADKINS, Techsource Solutions .................................................................................... 5 ALICIA BARNES, BC3 Technologies, LLC..................................................................................... 6 GARY D. BUTLER, Camgian ....................................................................................................... 6 GEOFFREY E. CARTER, Hyperion Technology Services ................................................................ 7 RUSS DAVIS, SchoolStatus, LLC ................................................................................................ 8 LIZ DENSMORE, LEC Incorporated ............................................................................................. 8 MAYO FLYNT, AT&T Mississippi................................................................................................. 9 W. COY GAUTHIER, SCS, LLC ...................................................................................................10 HANNAH BERRY GAY, MD, UMMC ...........................................................................................10 GERARD GIBERT, Venture Technologies .....................................................................................11 CHANDLER GRAY, Corinth School District ................................................................................. 12 TRAVIS Y. GREEN, PFG Precision Optics ................................................................................... 12 ELI HARTNETT, Aerial Productions Photography, LLC ................................................................ 13 CRAIG A. HARVEY, Nvision Solutions........................................................................................14 ERIC ALAN HILL, Sportsnax......................................................................................................14 TONY JEFF, Innovate Mississippi .............................................................................................. 15 HARPER MADDOX, EdgeTheory ...............................................................................................16 WES MCGREW, HORNE Cyber ..................................................................................................16 BRAD MCMULLAN, bfac.com.................................................................................................... 17 HU MEENA, C Spire..................................................................................................................18 CRAIG P. ORGERON, PH.D., Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services ............18 W. WHITAKER RAYNER, Jones Walker ......................................................................................19 KATIE ROBERTS, Citizens National Bank ...................................................................................19 TRENT TOWNSEND, Next Step Innovation ............................................................................... 20 JAY VANLANDINGHAM, Bruce Telephone Company, Inc............................................................ 20 AARON VICK, Cicayda, LLC ....................................................................................................... 21 GARY WATTS, fuse.cloud ......................................................................................................... 21 DR. LAKIESHA WILLIAMS, Bagley School of Engineering ...........................................................22 JOEL YELVERTON, Yelverton Consulting ...................................................................................22

TOP IN TECH AWARDS | Table of Contents |

2017

2017

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| Photos | TOP IN TECH AWARDS

2017

4 Photos by Stegall Imagery

2017

Hunter Adkins

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unter Adkins is a bug part of how TechSource Solutions continues to deliver technology at a cost effective rate to parts of Mississippi that previously weren’t considered technologically advanced. He has helped enriched what is possible technology wise for many clients and made workflow improvements in virtually every client he comes across.

Adkins is a 2010 graduate of Southern Mississippi with a degree focused on an emphasis in networking. So, throwing him into a tangled mess of network cables usually ends up well for the client.

Customer retention and customer relations have always been something he works on diligently.

Adkins likes getting out in the field and talking to people, seeing how they’re doing, what they need, and how we can cost effectively implement a unique solution for that client.

As someone who has traveled to 25 countries, Adkins enjoys kayaking, canoing, camping, mountain climbing, golf, sailing, scuba diving, wake boarding, traveling and gardening.

TOP IN TECH AWARDS | Nominees |

Techsource Solutions

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Alicia Barnes BC3 Technologies, LLC

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licia Barnes is CEO and a Healthcare Quality and IT Consultant at BC3 Technologies in Madison. She uses her expertise in healthcare information technology to assist physician practices in improving health outcomes in Diabetes and Hypertension across the state of Mississippi.

Her company is creating healthcare dashboards and virtual online resources for the Mississippi State Department of Health Office of Preventive Health, Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention.

Barnes previously was a Business Quality Analyst at Mississippi Health Safe Net. Barnes earned her bachelors degree in computer science at Tougaloo College in 2002, and her MBA from Belhaven in 2006. She earned her HIMS Certification at Tougaloo in 2012.

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| Nominees | TOP IN TECH AWARDS

2017

Gary D. Butler Camgian

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ary Butler is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Camgian Microsystems in Starkville. From its early work in building advanced sensor technologies and solutions such as DARPA, he has lead Camgian’s evolution into a multi-million dollar revenue business and a leading company in the Internet of Things market.

Camgian has been named as one of the fastest growing private companies in the U.S. by Inc. Magazine, one of the most entrepreneurial companies in America by Entrepreneur Magazine, one of the top 50 fastest growing technology companies

by The Silicon Review, and one of the top 50 most promising companies in IoT by CIO Review. ABI Research identified the company as one of the world’s top tech start-ups. Camgian was recognized as a “Cool Vendor” by global technology research company Gartner.

The company’s latest product is Egburt, whose design leverages a novel edge computing architecture that supports real-time, sensor enabled IoT solutions. Since its launch, Egburt has received significant industry.

Butler earned his bachelors degree at Tulane and his masters at Vanderbilt, both in Mechanical Engineering. He obtained a Ph.D. in Engineering at Cambridge, where he studied dynamics and the application of wavelet to signal analysis.

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Geoffrey E. Carter

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eoffrey Carter is president and CEO of Hyperion Technology Group, an employee-owned small business in the Renasant Center for Ideas in Tupelo.

Carter earned his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in Electrical Engineering at Mississippi State University.

Established in the Fall of 2009, it seeks to provide innovative multi-disciplined engineering solutions. Its founders and technical staff try to establish a recognized leadership position in the development of systems that solve the most difficult problems, advance the state-of-the-art, and exceed the highest expectations of our customers.

Its staff has over a century of combined professional engineering expertise in a variety of fields including electronic design, RF and microwave engineering, industrial automation systems, software development, embedded control, acoustics, signal processing, simulation, mechanical modeling, product design, quality control, continuous improvement, among many others.

TOP IN TECH AWARDS | Nominees |

Hyperion Technology Services

2017

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AT&T salutes Mayo Flynt President of AT&T Mississippi Top in Tech 2017

© 2017 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved.

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| Nominees | TOP IN TECH AWARDS

2017

Russ Davis SchoolStatus, LLC

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ubrey “Russ” Davis, founder and CEO of SchoolStatus, has always been technologically inclined. Whether online, offline, hardware, or software, he was always looking for ways to im-

prove it.

At 19, Davis became the then-youngest School District Technology Director in Mississippi. He served multiple campuses and led the district’s technology initiatives with the goal of best utilizing limited funds to push the district’s technology forward. He also saw some of the concerns from a technological standpoint.

From there, Davis took a position at the Mississippi Department of Education as an IT Planner. After his first tour, he moved into the business world where he continued to serve the education industry in both technical and sales roles for companies in the Southeast. Later, he returned to state service at MDE for a second tour in the Office of Research and Statistics until 2010 when he began building a team that would eventually morph into SchoolStatus.

SchoolStatus today serves the majority of school districts in Mississippi as well as districts in Alabama, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Texas, Iowa, Arkansas and Georgia. Districts have found benefits in being able to track all of their instructional and operational data in one place, with no need for additional strain on the personnel or hardware budgets.

Liz Densmore LEC Incorporated

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iz Densmore is director of marketing and human resources at the Pearl-based LEC, an Industrial Internet of Things firm.

Densmore juggles a variety of duties. She leads all internal and external communication endeavors, including client relations, media relations, public relations, and employee relations, and works directly with LEC’s Board of Directors to develop strategic marketing plans to enhance the overall business model. She directs the process of determining LEC’s target audiences, implementing marketing tactics and objectives, and creating effective communications tools to successfully develop business relationships, increase sales opportunities and promote brand recognition. Her Human Resources include employee benefits, personnel matters, payroll, employee safety and recruitment.

She also participates in special projects, such as event planning and the coordination of company holiday festivities.

Densmore earned a Bachelors degree in Broadcast Journalism with Emphasis in Public Relations from the University of Mississippi in 2001.

Densmore joined LEC in 2013 as its first ever Marketing Director. She previously worked at Mississippi State Department of Health, the International Ballet Competition, and was a reporter/anchor at WXVT in Greenville.

8

Mayo Flynt

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ayo Flynt is President of AT&T Mississippi, a position he has held since January 2007. He is responsible for AT&T’s operations in Mississippi including external affairs, regulatory affairs and public policy.

Prior to this appointment, Flynt held a series of positions within BellSouth of increasing responsibility for regulatory and legislative affairs on the state and federal levels as well as internationally.

He is a past-chairman of the Mississippi Economic Council, the Mississippi Partnership for Economic Development, and the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership where he currently chairs the Lake Development Task Force. Flynt is the 2013-15 chairman of Innovate Mississippi and serves on the boards of directors for the Mississippi Museum of Art, Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, the University of Mississippi Foundation as well as Gov. Phil Bryant’s Mississippi Works and Mississippi Broadband Connect Coalition. Flynt is a member of the Jackson Rotary Club.

Flynt holds a degree in finance from the University of Mississippi. He and his wife, Renee, have two daughters, Sarah and Olivia.

TOP IN TECH AWARDS | Nominees |

AT&T Mississippi

2017

9

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| Nominees | TOP IN TECH AWARDS

2017

W. Coy Gauthier SCS, LLC

W.

Coy Gauthier is CEO and Development Operations Chief at Software Consulting Services in Jackson.

He primarily ensures that the right combination of technology and business intelligence is utilized while providing technical solutions to his business clients.

Gauthier says his most significant and recent accomplishment was designing, developing and supporting the Electronic Filing Depository for digitizing Securities Offerings made within the United States and U.S. Territories. This solution officially launched publicly in January 2015. SCS now services nearly 6,000 customers in all US Territories for over 20,000 SEC Form D filings.

Gauthier says his most significant person accomplishment was his transition from a technology software developer purest to a business technology innovator, which allowed him to transition from a just a “doer” to a “thinker” He is also proud of the summer of 2010, when he built a treehouse for his two children. It was a huge personal challenge because of his lack of carpentry skills. “I designed and built this treehouse by hand, on my own, one board at a time,” he said. “My children learned that summer that big tasks, when taken on as one-bite-at-a-time, are not impossible.”

Hannah Berry Gay, MD University of Mississippi Medical Center

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annah Gay, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, is best know for her groundbreaking research, where in 2013, a 23-month-old who was born with the HIV virus, appeared to have gone into remission, with no sign of the virus. Gay and her team has treated the child with a combination of antiretroviral drugs, beginning the day after its birth. Antiviral therapy ended at about 18 months of age, but the virus stayed away for five months, offering hope for a curt. It returned the next year, however.

However that case showed that HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, can lie in wait for replication and a relapse later.

Gay, who is retiring this month but will have emeritus status at UMMC where she earned her medical degree, said, “If I have a legacy, it is that we’ve prevented hundreds of cases of transmission, and prevention is far better than cure.”

And the “Mississippi Baby?” She’s back on antiretroviral drugs and doing great, said Gay. “Loaded with personality and just finished kindergarten.”

She doesn’t yet realize her importance to the understanding and treatment of HIV, but Gay is compiling a scrapbook of the events so she can understand the history when older.

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2017

Gerard Gibert

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erard Gibert is the CEO of Venture Technologies, an IT Solutions Provider and Cloud Services Provider headquartered in Ridgeland.

Gibert earned his Bachelor’s degree in accounting with a minor in economics from the University of Mississippi. He began his career as a senior consultant in the Management Information Consulting Division of Arthur Andersen & Co., the division that eventually became Accenture. He was named to one of the first classes of the Mississippi Business Journal’s “Top 40 under 40,” and has been honored by the Association for Information Technology Professionals as the Mississippian of the Year (1996 and 2013). His company is No. 270 among the top 500 Systems Integrators in the U.S and is a member of the CRN Elite 250 Technology Solution Providers in the nation. The Mississippi Business Journal has recognized Gibert’s firm as one of the “Best Places to Work” in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. He has also served on numerous IT industry councils.

Founded in 1986, Venture has locations in 9 states. With a staff of just under 300, Venture offers a variety of IT infrastructure, cloud and business application solutions and.

TOP IN TECH AWARDS | Nominees |

Venture Technologies

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2017 TOP IN TECH CLASS! Innovate Mississippi is proud to be partners with so many of these outstanding leaders in technology

& CONGRATULATIONS TONY JEFF Jay Vanlandingham

We are so proud of you and your accomplishments! We love you!!

Amanda, Trey, & Dani Caroline; Mother & Jerry; Pop & Mamaw Van; Jim & Carolyn; Jonathan, Machele, Jemma, & Layne

Innovate Mississippi’s president and CEO, for being named to this distinguished Top in Tech Class!

— From the team and Board of Directors of Innovate Mississippi

INNOVATE.MS | 601-960-3610 11

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| Nominees | TOP IN TECH AWARDS

2017

Chandler Gray Corinth School District

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handler Gray is director of the Corinth Technology and Innovation Center, also known as CTECH at the Corinth School District.

Gray uses technology to enhance the educational experience for over 30 students through the building of robots, reconstructing crime scenes, and biomedical science. In each of these, technology is placed in the forefront, and helping teachers understand and use educational technology is critical.

He lead a group of first year teachers in the implementation of robot technology, instructional technology including how to use Mac software, Canvas, Icurio, Nearpod, Plickers, and Intellitek, among others.

Previously, Gray held teaching, administrative and/or coaching positions in Corinth, Falkner, Pittsboro, N.C., Lakeland, Ga., Tallahassee, Fla., and Bradenton, Fla. Gray earned his bachelors degree in psychology at the University of Mississippi, and his Masters in Sports Administration at Florida State.

Travis Y. Green PFG Precision Optics

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ravis Green is president of PFG Precision Optics, a manufacturer of high end optical components, assemblies, and thin-film coatings in Ocean Springs. Established in 1977, PFG fabricates tight tolerenced spherical optics, and flat optics with stringent specifications and complex shapes.

Green is a member and former president of the Rotary Club of Ocean Springs, a former4 board member of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association, a former member of the former Member of the Gulf Coast Business Council and director of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College District Workforce Council.

He previously worked at Brown Brothers Harriman in New York, and Green Morris & Associates and A.G. Edwards & Sons in Atlanta.

Green earned his bachelors degree from Emory University in BBA Finance, and his MBA in International Business from the University of South Carolina.

PFG customers include L3 Communications, Northrop Grumman, Rockwell and General Dynamics among others. Products are used by the military for surveillance and optics go into medical equipment for anything from cataract surgery to wrinkle and tattoo removal.

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Eli Hartnett

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li Hartnett is a 16-year-old sophomore at Oxford High School and the owner of Aerial Productions Photography, LLC. Soon after being introduced to drones by his eighth grade STEM teacher, Hartnett realized he had a talent for flying. He purchased his first drone and went through the difficult process to obtain the proper licensing.

His first job was with a Oxford real estate company for a property a few miles out of town. He produced a video that was placed on the client’s website, which allowed potential buyers to “visit” the property online in just minutes.

Hartnett has worked with the Oxford Chamber of Commerce, providing aerial images and video of developing locations for potential investors. He provided Oxford Police with updated 2-D maps of highly populated areas that pose risks during events. He is in the process of mapping schools in the Oxford School District, taking hundreds of pictures and electronically stitching them together. His project for the Oxford-Lafayette County Economic Development Foundation will be used to attract industry.

He is considering early graduation next year and going to an aviation school or even the Air Force Academy to continue his career.

TOP IN TECH AWARDS | Nominees |

Aerial Productions Photography, LLC

2017

We don’t just practice in this community

WE’RE A PART OF IT

Jones Walker LLP congratulates our partner W. Whitaker Rayner on being named a 2017 Mississippi Business Journal “Top in Tech” award recipient. We congratulate Whit and all of the honorees for their achievements and contributions across the state.

Jeffrey R. Barber 190 E Capitol St | Suite 800 601.949.4765 Jackson, MS 39201 jbarber@joneswalker.com www.joneswalker.com ALABAMA | ARIZONA | DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA | FLORIDA GEORGIA | LOUISIANA | MISSISSIPPI | NEW YORK | TEXAS Attorney Advertising. No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other attorneys.

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| Nominees | TOP IN TECH AWARDS

2017

Craig A. Harvey NVision Solutions

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raig Harvey is Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President for NVision Solutions and is Founder and President of the Magnolia Business Alliance.

He has worked in the field of GeoSpatial Science for 20 years as an ESRI Technology Expert. For the last 7 years he has been operations manager, chief strategist, and COO for NVision Solutions, earning numerous accolades, including Technology Innovator of the Year for Louisiana in 2005 and Innovator of the Year for Mississippi in 2006. He also won a Tibbett’s award in 2006 for excellence in Federal Research for NASA related projects, and was named Mississippi’s Small Business person of the year by the SBA in 2006.

The Magnolia Business Alliance exists to provide cost free or low cost support to start-up business, early stage business, and second tier business ready to form partnerships, JVs, or other teaming agreements to bid competitively on Government contracts. It provide support for all aspects of small business from setting up or auditing books, timekeeping, quality control program, capture management, proposal review, and team building.

Eric Alan Hill SportSnax

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ric Hill is the Chief Operating Officer of Sportsnax in Ocean Springs. He found his passion for technology start-ups at age 16 when he founded HillTech, a web development and management company which grew to support clients in fifteen states before its acquisition after five successful years. He is a Mississippi State University graduate in industrial and systems engineering and has served in various capacities at several defense manufacturers such as Huntington Ingalls Industries, Stark Aerospace, and SemiSouth.

SportSnax allows fans at sporting events to order concessions from any modern smartphone and have their selections delivered to their seat. The system is a software-as-a-service, designed to be deployed quickly and easily by venues using any basic internet-connected PC, laptop or tablet.

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2017

Tony Jeff

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ony Jeff serves as the president and CEO for Innovate Mississippi.

He previously served as Innovate Mississippi’s vice-president and COO and the director of the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation where he coordinated Innovate Mississippi’s work with entrepreneurs to bring their innovations successfully to market. In this position, he coached more than 800 entrepreneurial ventures and consulted with companies that successfully raised more than $130 million in private equity financing. He also previously held the positions of director of the Mississippi Alternative Energy Enterprise and director of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership of Mississippi.

Tony holds a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering from Mississippi State University. He also holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and a Masters of Engineering from the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University through the Masters of Management and Manufacturing Program. Tony is married to the former Sheila Kalka and they have two sons, James and Joshua.

TOP IN TECH AWARDS | Nominees |

Innovate Mississippi

Venture Technologies Congratulates

CONGRATULATIONS

Gerard Gibert

to our CEO/President, Alicia Barnes on being an awardee of the Top in Tech Class of 2017

Top in Tech Winner 2017

Our Mission Statement Venture Technologies is a national IT Solutions provider that delivers enterprise Premise Infrastructure Solutions, Collaboration Solutions, Cloud Services and Business Applications Consulting Services to private and public sector organizations across the United States and abroad.

We are proud of your hard work, dedication, and perseverance in improving health outcomes through technology in Mississippi. We applaud you for continuing to stand on Habakkuk 2:1 and Jeremiah 29:11.

The Best is Yet to Come.

Our world-class team of Technical Architects, Engineers, Account Managers, Consultants and Project Managers help organizations achieve excellence by unlocking the true potential of information technology. Known for completing complex projects on time and within budget, our customers view us as a trusted partner in their IT ecosystem. Our VTCloud® Services are delivered by our geo-diverse Tier-3 data centers and provide 99.997% uptime. We help organizations improve productivity optimize resources and maximize IT ROI.

www.ventech.com

@venture_tech

The Staff and Team of BC3 Technologies, LLC

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| Nominees | TOP IN TECH AWARDS

2017

Harper Maddox EdgeTheory

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arper Maddox, a Columbus Mississippi native, is the Chief Technology Officer for Edge Theory in Jackson, where he sets the technology vision and work with the CEO on corporate strategy. Maddox makes sure the company executes the vision by managing its Engineering team, managing products, and writing a lot of code.

Maddox received his MBA from the University of Texas in 2008 after having completed his undergraduate work at Georgia Institute of Technology in 2002.

He says his role model is Jim Barksdale, who told his team soon after his investment, “Yeah, I’ve been a part of 3 startups in my day: first one was FedEx, the next was McCaw Cellular which became AT&T Wireless, and the last was Netscape.”

Barksdale is brilliant, Maddox says, “I’ve never heard anything but reverence from people who have worked from him, and he proves that a kid from Mississippi can do anything. He is still sharp as a tack and gives us amazing insight as a board member.”

Maddox is married to his wife Gini and they have three children: Eli (5), Abe (4), and Minnie (1).

Wes McGrew HORNE Cyber

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s the Director of Cyber Operations at HORNE Cyber, Wes McGrew directs an offense-oriented cyber security services.

These teams, and McGrew, conduct engagements that use the techniques of nation-state intelligence service hackers to find vulnerabilities on its clients’ networks. These penetration tests are conducted to determine the ways attackers will breach their targets, and to help clients better protect themselves. He received his PhD from Mississippi State in computer science in 2013.

McGrew says his most significant professional accomplishment to date is being a founder of the HORNE Cyber subsidiary of HORNE as it has enabled him to provide services to a larger client base while bringing innovation to the security industry and creating jobs in Mississippi.

As for role models, McGrew says he respects the men and women in our nation’s intelligence services who, quietly and without due credit, protect the nation’s critical network infrastructure that we all use.

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2017

Brad McMullan

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rad McMullan is an Emmy Award Winning Journalist, turned Award Winning CEO. McMullan is the founder and CEO of bfac. com, an international mobile technology company, that focuses on mobile app development & mass texting for businesses and organizations. Today, bfac.com has 48 U-S states as clients (the actual states themselves are clients of bfac.com) and also the territories of Guam & Puerto Rico.

The award-winning technology company is currently used by more than a million people and more than a 1,000 companies around the world. Some clients include Toyota, Pepsi, Michelin Tires, Ozarka Water, Dell Computers, The Girl Scouts, The Salvation Army, United Way, 7-Eleven, The National Guard, MGM Park, Sta Home, AMR and Remington Park. The company currently operates in more than 50 markets and owns or operates more than 120 websites and domains.

McMullan was named to the 2016 Tech 21 List by the Mississippi Business Journal and was also elected to serve on the Madison County Business League Board of Directors.

TOP IN TECH AWARDS | Nominees |

bfac.com

GOOD NEWS IS WORTH REPEATING! Framed Article Articles are reformatted to fit on either one or two pages with Mississippi Business Journal masthead on the top of the page. Article size is 8.5” x 11”.

Framed articles take approximately one month to complete.

Digital Reprint Frame size - 14” x 16.5” - $199

Plaque - 9”x12” or 8”x10” - $199

Article or list will be reformatted with Mississippi Business Journal masthead on the top of the page and be provided in PDF format.

WAYS TO ORDER » Introductory Offer $199

Call: 601-364-1044 Fax: (601) 364-1007 Fax or mail: Mississippi Business Journal Attn: Marcia Thompson-Kelly 200 North Congress St, Ste 400, Jackson 39201 Email: marcia.kelly@msbusiness.com or print off form at http://msbusiness.com/wp-files/forms/article-request-form-web.pdf

R Digital Reprint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$375 R Framed Article 14” x 16.5” cherry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$199

R Framed Article 23” x 16.5” cherry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $250 R Plaque 8” x 10” or 9” x 12” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$199

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| Nominees | TOP IN TECH AWARDS

2017

Hu Meena C Spire

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s president & CEO of Ridgeland-based C Spire, Hu Meena is busy guiding an effort to extract pioneering uses from a fiber optic network for which C Spire’s predecessor companies — Cellular South and Franklin and Delta telephone companies — laid the foundation decades ago.

With each new C Spire announcement of a digital-based product or service, the spotlight on Mississippi as a generator of tomorrow’s technologies grows brighter. By the end of the last decade, the nation’s largest privately held wireless provider — estimated by Forbes’ analysts to have reached sales of $578 million in 2011 — served notice to the telecom sector that it and the state it calls home intend to be aggressive and innovative players in the digital marketplace.

Meena, a Clarksdale native, who was the 2016 Mississippi Business Journal “Business Person of the Year” says his 1,250-employee company headquartered in Ridgeland’s Renaissance at Colony Parkway is on the verge of becoming ground zero for the arrival of a Silicon Valley of sorts, citing the strides it is making in developing useful data analytics applications for businesses, “We’re doing some cutting-edge things in the data analytics space.”

On his way to becoming CEO of C Spire, Meena graduated from the University of Mississippi with a degree in education and then coached a year of football at Greenwood’s Pillow Academy.

Craig P. Orgeron , Ph.D. Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services

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raig Orgeron has more than 27 years of information technology experience in both the private sector and the federal and state level of the public sector, beginning as a communications-computer systems officer in the United States Air Force. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services and Chief Information Officer for the State of Mississippi. In this role, he provide statewide leadership in the provision of services that facilitate cost-effective information processing and telecommunication solutions for agencies and institutions. He has served as President of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers, and currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Multi-State Information Sharing & Analysis Center.

Orgeron holds a bachelor’s degree in MIS, a master’s degree and doctorate in public policy and administration from Mississippi State University. He am a certified public manager and a graduate of the Senator John C. Stennis State Executive Development Institute, as well as the Institute on International Digital Government Research, and the Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government Executive Education Series, Leadership for a Networked World and Cybersecurity: The Intersection of Policy and Technology.

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Jones Walker

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hit Rayner is a partner in the firm’s Business & Commercial Litigation Practice Group in the Jackson office, and he is the leader of the Intellectual Property team. His practice focus is in the areas of copyright and trademark registration and protection, software licensing, and intellectual property litigation and prosecution. He also represents financial institutions in commercial litigation and contract disputes.

Rayner is a member of The Mississippi Bar and former chair of the Intellectual Property Section. He is also past chairman of the Model State Trademark Bill Subcommittee of the International Trademark Association and a former member of the International Trademark Association/CPR Panel of Neutrals.

Rayner is the author of the Intellectual Property Section of West Publishing’s Encyclopedia of Mississippi Law, and is the Mississippi editor of State Trademark and Unfair Competition Law.

TOP IN TECH AWARDS | Nominees |

W. Whitaker Rayner

2017

www.msbusiness.com

Katie Roberts Citizens National Bank

K

atie Roberts is the Chief Information Officer at Citizens National Bank in Meridian.

Roberts has been employed with the bank for the past 11 years and has been responsible for the management of both computer and network operations for the Bank as well as major technology related projects. In her new role, Roberts will be responsible for overseeing the Bank’s cyber security program as well as the Bank’s Electronic Banking Department, and various Electronic Banking projects. She will also continue to manage the Bank’s Technology Services Department.

Roberts is a 2004 graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a Bachelor of Science degree in Software Engineering Technology. In addition to her degree, she is also certified as a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist and as a Microsoft Certified Information Technology Professional Server Administrator.

She and her husband, Matt, are the proud parents of a four-year-old daughter, Kaylen.

19

Trent Townsend Next Step Innovation

I

n his current role as Chief Executive Officer and part owner of Next Step Group, Inc and Next Step Innovation, his job responsibilities vary greatly. NSI is a technology company that sells hardware and software and provides engineering services to a variety of customers.

Until a recent re-organization of our company, he served as the CEO and also Managing Director of the Technology Division. However, due to the growth of the company, the responsibilities related to managing our Technology Division have been re-assigned to our newly appointed I.T. Director.

Despite being CEO, Townsend still has a deep desire to maintain technical acumen. So, he is still engaged, albeit infrequently, in some engineering projects. This especially includes cyber security audits, penetration testing and networking.

Townsend has a Master’s degree from Mississippi State University and a bachelor’s degree from Mississippi College. He is married with a son and family members are all avid MSU sports fans.

www.msbusiness.com

| Nominees | TOP IN TECH AWARDS

2017

Jay Vanlandingham Bruce Telephone Company, Inc.

J

ay Vanlandingham, Bruce Telephone Company. Jay Vanlandingham is the Branch Manager of Bruce Telephone Company. He directs a team of 10 employees, including field technicians, service reps, and analyst for installation, repair and upgraded maintenance .Vanlandingham deals with vendor management, business and personal conflict resolution, new product evaluation, scheduling and evaluation of staff. He also deals with component outage reporting and local and federal compliance including 911 services. Vanlandingham currently serves his county as Constable, President of the Bruce Chamber of Commerce, 2nd Vice President of the Independent Telephone Pioneers Association and a member of the Calhoun Economic Development Association. He is a 1999 graduate of Vardaman High School and a 2002 graduate of the Mississippi Police Academy.

20

Cicayda, LLC

L

www.msbusiness.com

aurel native Aaron Vick is the Chief Strategy Officer of Cicayda LLC. Vick was part of the original design and ownership team of CaseLogistix, the ediscovery/edisclosure management and research application, and has worked as a law firm consultant and expert witness for more than 17 years. He has worked in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Central America and the United States with firms and their clients on both the strategic and tactical level to overcome the unique challenges of modern complex litigation.

He is also very active in the technology sector as a mentor and advisor in various verticals. Aaron is a founding member of a Mississippi technology incubator and co-working space, Mantle, encouraging young entrepreneurs in the Southeast region to push the boundaries of today’s technology. He also serves as an advisor and partner at Pearlbend Ventures, a Mississippi based venture capital group, providing early stage companies seed funding and resources.

TOP IN TECH AWARDS | Nominees |

Aaron Vick

2017

Gary Watts fuse.cloud

G

ary Watts is the founder and CEO of Fuse.cloud, previously Broadband Voice, a Jackson-based firm that has leveraged the Internet-based cloud’s capability to accommodate a growing list of voice, data storage and data transmission services.

Voice-over-Internet for business is still at the heart of what Fuse.Cloud does. But a series of advances in cloud data technology brought a need to adopt a name that reflects the fusion of cloud telephony with everything else the company offers.

Watts founded Broadband Voice in 2006 and made it one of the fastest growing Voice over IP technology companies in the Southeast.

Early in his career, Watts honed his business skills by owning and operating a popular restaurant franchise. In 1995, he started a concert promotion business, which grew to national recognition and within its first year as he promoted over 100 performances nationally while still running the restaurant.

Watts is a graduate of McCluer Academy (now Hillcrest Christian), and received his BS degree from Mississippi College. He lives in the Jackson area with wife of 26 years and they have one daughter, Olivia.

21

www.msbusiness.com

| Nominees | TOP IN TECH AWARDS

2017

Dr. Lakiesha Williams Bagley School of Engineering

A

s a young child, Lakiesha Claude Williams wanted to be a physician. It made sense, because she liked helping people and enjoyed science. But her plans to work as a medical doctor changed during her senior year of high school, when a teacher introduced her to the world of mathematics.

Now a biomedical engineer, researcher and assistant professor at Mississippi State, Williams has blended her nurturing side that led to wanting to study medicine with the analytical, inquisitive part of her. Through biomedical engineering, she looks for ways to protect people from serious injuries and even death.

As director of the interdisciplinary human body simulation research group in the university’s Bagley college of Engineering, Williams and others have presented their research at a NATO conference.

Using high-performance computer modeling and simulations, her research mimics what happens to soldiers’ legs when vehicles they’re in run over improvised explosive devices. Her research also includes working to improve football helmets to better prevent concussions and other injuries.

Joel Yelverton Yelverton Consulting

J

oel Yelverton is owner of Yelverton Consulting, a Clinton-based firm specializing in lobbying, professional association management and local government consultancy.

Yelverton has twenty-five years of legislative and association management experience. Joel currently serves as executive director of the Mississippi Railroad Association and the Mississippi Assessors and Collectors Association.

Formed in January, 2009, Yelverton Consulting, LLC is a multidisciplinary organization specializing in local, state and federal advocacy, strategic business consulting and professional association management.

Once when asked what his greatest challenge had been, Yelverton quoted Michelangelo: “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim to low, and achieving our mark.”

22

The Mississippi Business Journal is asking for nominations for Mississippi‘s Top in Tech Awards our ďŹ rst ever technology awards program, which will honor businesses and individuals driving the industry. We will be recognizing and honoring individuals and companies that innovate, create jobs, and contribute to Mississippi’s economy. Nominees may come from any industry, government, education, health care, security, or others who are tech leaders and innovators.

Nominees may be from companies dedicated to tech or departments within companies or agencies which focus on supporting the technology needs of that company or agency. There are many deserving, growing technology companies in Mississippi. Help us recognize and honor them!

NOMINATION FORM Nominee Name: ______________________________________________________________________________________ Title: ______________________________________________________________ Age: __________________________ Company Name: _____________________________________________________________________________________ Phone Number: ______________________________________________________________________________________ Email Address: _______________________________________________________________________________________ Address: ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Reason for nominatin: _________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Nominator name: _____________________________________________________________________________________ Nominator email: _____________________________________________________________________________________ Nominator phone number: _____________________________________________________________________________

events@msbusiness.com / (601) 364-1000 / Fax (601) 364-1007 Download form at: www.msbusiness.com Click on Events and scroll down to Top in Tech

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Our name says it all.

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STATE GOVERNM ENT

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meet manufac

Page 9 contract, Meridian gets assembly plant —

turing needs — Page 3

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October 28, 2016 • Vol. 38, No. 44 • $1 • 32 pages

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

2016

Sanderson tourney is run like a business ‘with a heart’

MISSISSIPPI

— Page 8

MISSISSIPPI DELTA

» The Lofts at 517 giving people reasons to come to downtown Greenville {P 2} BANKING

» BancorpSouth net income for third quarter up {P 2} HEALTH CARE

» ER nurse gets patent for product {P 3}

100 THE STATE’S TOP PRIVATELY OWNED COMPANIES

better yield, 16 » FEATURE: Staplcotn benefits from more acreage, in life, casualty insurance, 18 » FEATURE: Southern Farm Bureau a powerhouse 18 » FEATURE: KLLM is growing while investing in Mississippi, State economists lower growth forecast for rest of year

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Cuba opportunities, pitfalls dominate MDA trade summit

Revenue report follows declining direction — Page 10

September 2, 2016 • Vol.

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Lost Rabbit: Fi nding its way

BY JACK WEATHERLY jack.weatherly@msbusiness.com

ECONOMIC DEVEL The Republic of Cuba was depicted OPMENT as a land of opportunity for Mississippi {Section begin s P 11} businesses, though with a heightened » Foreign Trade sense of risk.

Zones allow the s to About 150 people attended busines compete in the on “Doing Business in Cuba Summit”global economy in Warehouse South » Bernie Reed’s Oct. 20 at the mettle lifts Jackson.

Reed’s Metals to new heights Speakers at the Mississippi Development Authority event told of a countryThe struggling to emerge from more than a List {P 14-15} and » Trade half-century of the U.S. embargo Associations communist rule. informaget to attended who Those tion on the Cuban economy, and sociin ety, too, will get an opportunity February to visit the island nation, one in the MDA’s continuing program of trade missions.

And the pitch that was made is that there is potentially a lot of money to be made in the country of 11 million people COLUMN 90 miles from Key West, Fla. President Barack Obama reopened{P 21} and eased the U.S. Embassy in Havana » MABUS : But it was on sale travel restrictions in that nation.

“We are calling on Cuba to unleash the potential of 11 million Cubans by ending unnecessary restrictions on their political, social, and economic activities,” Obama said in a speech on Dec. 17, 2014. “In that spirit, we should not allow U.S. sanctions to add to the burden of Cuban citizens that we seek to

May 27, 2015 • Vol. 38, No.

— Page 4

town center of

the Madison County

development overlook s Ross

DINING

Char restauran t to

TACY RAYBURN

/ MBJ

expand by 50 pe rcent

Sometimes, a business solutio door. n is right out the back The owners of Char restaurant, tality Group, the 4-Top Hospiseized square feet behind the opportunity of leasing 3,000 The expansion, it in Highland Village. which brings the total space under

the Char roof to cial events space. 9,300 square feet, will provid e spe“We look forwar d to hosting parties big and small, and meetings from ing area,” co-own 10 to 100, in this expand ed diner David Conn Char has the said in a release good problem of overflow crowds . , esSee

Banking & Finance

{Section begins P 14} with » Banking on the future technology » FinTech revolution fueling changes in traditional banking

nt of Labor’s new rule The U.S. Departme pay threshold that doubled the over-timethe pockets of into puts more money workers but forces busi40,000 Mississippi work arrangements nesses to rethink their supervisors. with managers and the new threshold below paid Managers must be paid overof $47,476 ($913 a week) hours in a work many time regardless of how managerial, or whiteweek they devote to collar, duties.

See

to see while N.O., Gulfport wait Chiquita mulls decision

remains under considera“At this time the matter and no external statement tion internally at Chiquita the email sent by conor information is available,” Barbara H. Hines said. Jonathan Daniels has email on sultant Director nal confirmed in an Gulfport Executive notice from Chiquita Internatio gotten any official in fact consideris not has he importer that this week were unsucTuesday that the banana at the Port of New Orleans. said Efforts to reach him ing whether it will remain rampant in recent weeks, Chiquita.

Speculation has been on, about the matter, rais- cessful.

Orleans port chief executive Gary LaGrange, New return to without previous confirmati the company might 4 one-half ing the possibility that See CHIQUITA, Page which it left two and the Port of Gulfport,

Y

BY JACK WEATHERL ess.com jack.weatherly@msbusin

MABUS COLUMN {P 13} http://msbusines s.com/events/ceo -awards-of-miss issippi/

Siler

OVERTIME, Page 10

MANUFACTURING

CHAR, Page 2

See CUBA, Page 4

{P 4}

22 • $1 • 20 pages

mean New overtime rulesrke rs, wo r fo y more mone ployers more challenges for em

By TED CARTER m ted.carter@msbusiness.co

MBJ FOCUS Barnett Reservoi r.

Courtesy of LostRabbit.c om

BY JACK WEATH ERLY jack.weatherly@m sbusiness.com

3

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Cybersecurity experts hunting cyber threats from home in Mississippi The pool in the

with a bit of news, Page

TECHNOLOGY

Page 4

MBJ FOCUS

Orleans: a travelogue

24 pages

» Never on time — the business decisions

perils of

years ago.

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