Manufactured in Mississippi || Spring-Summer 2019

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Spring 2019

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS. Thank goodness ou rs is in Mississippi.

From a modest feed-and-seed store in small-town Mississippi to one of the largest poultry producers in the country, Sanderson Farms is proud of our Mississippi heritage. Our employees, the family farmers who raise our chickens, the folks who help us host the Sanderson Farms Championship, and the people who call Mississippi home are at the heart of everything we do.

2019

Watch for Zappar codes throughout this magazine. Each code tells you what it will launch.

Manufactured in Mississippi 2

www.manufacturedINmississippi.com

SPRING

Letter from the Editor Manufacturing supports one-third of the livelihoods in Mississippi. It is a part of our culture and a point of pride for the state. This is also our first multimedia issue, which we are very excited about.

In this issue we hope you enjoy reading about invention, education, and leadership that spans decades and has much to show for their dedicated efforts — raising generations of innovators and doers. And, with Enhanced Content, you can download the free app to your phone or tablet and see videos, 3-D models, animations, and websites spring from the pages!

Manufactured in Mississippi magazine is the first privately held Mississippi publication of its kind. Each edition focuses on important industry issues and topics, including state and national legislation, special interest pieces, and business profiles.

Every issue is directly distributed to key elected officials, legislators, business leaders, industry leaders, and members of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association.

If you have an important topic that you would like to see on the pages, or are interested in how you can have your company represented in the magazine, please contact our editorial or advertising staff.

We trust you will find Manufactured in Mississippi an important read. – Bryan Carter Editor-in-Chief Publisher P2 Publishers Editor-in-Chief Bryan Carter Contributing Editors Matthew Jackson, Holly Hicks Visual Design Justin Maxwell, Craig West Photography Chance Shelton Advertising Director Hannah Kistemaker Manufactured in Mississippi is published by P2 Publishers. Reproduction of Manufactured in Mississippi magazine, in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited without written permission. We do not accept responsibility for any unsolicited materials and may not return them. All information in this magazine is taken from sources considered authoritative, but P2 Publishers cannot guarantee their accuracy. Inclusion of editorials, images, advertisements, or other materials in this magazine does not constitute an endorsement for products or services by the publisher. Expert editorials are provided by outside authors, and represent the expert opinions of those authors.

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Mississippi’s First Bourbon Bourbon is America’s only native spirit, much like Scotch from Scotland and Champagne from Champagne, France. Now, Mississippi produces four bourbons.

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The World’s Deadliest Animal vs. Mississippi Manufacturing Spartan Mosquito is on a mission to help the people of the world, and are on track to grow a company worth hundreds of millions of dollars in the process.

Burning Desire to Win Mississippi’s manufacturing industry is a picture of steady growth, and there’s no sign of a plateau.

Custom Metal Solutions : Forming a New Steel Empire Custom Metal Solutions is turning hard work, tough-as-steel tenacity, and a strategic plan into an industry leadership model.

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The Mississippi Polymer Institute (MPI) celebrates its 25th Anniversary and the School of Polymer Science and Engineering continues to forge new ground as a renowned establishment at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM).

Integration and Automation = Faster Time-to-Hire Empower your hiring process. Eliminate unnecessary labor, reduce costs, increase accuracy, integrate, and automate.

Fundamental Online Strategies for Manufacturers Optimizing Your Online Presence to Remain Competitive in Today’s Quickly Changing Marketplace

EXPERT ARTICLE EXPERT ARTICLE

PLEASE SEND ALL INQUIRIES TO: MANUFACTURED IN MISSISSIPPI, 655 LAKE HARBOUR DRIVE, STE 100, RIDGELAND, MS 39157 OR CALL: 601-707-8350 WITH ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMMENTS. VISIT US ONLINE AT WWW.MANUFACTUREDINMISSISSIPPI.COM OR EMAIL US AT INFO@MANUFACTUREDINMISSISSIPPI.COM OR ADVERTISING@MANUFACTUREDINMISSISSIPPI.COM

© 2019 P2 PUBLISHERS.

Spring 2019

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Mississippi’s Advanced Material Resources Celebrate Anniversary and Continued Innovations in Polymer Research

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BY BRYAN CARTER / FEATURED WRITER

Mississippi passed its first statewide Prohibition law in 1907. Mississippi was the first state to ratify the 18th Amendment, which prohibited alcohol sales across the country. Mississippi was the last state to abolish Prohibition in 1966, over three decades after the 21st Amendment was passed to end Prohibition nationally in 1933. 2017 marked the year of Mississippi’s first bourbon. And bourbon production is manufacturing.

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When we think of bourbon, we think of Kentucky. Many people still believe Kentucky is the only state where bourbon is made.

Bourbon is America’s only native spirit, much like Scotch from Scotland and Champagne from Champagne, France. While bourbon production matured in Kentucky, being made in Kentucky is not a requirement when it comes to producing bourbon. Being made in the United States is a requirement.

Now Mississippi produces four bourbons.

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Spring 2019

BOURBON ORIGINS While there is some dispute over bourbon’s origins, it is recognized that whiskey was being made in Kentucky commercially as early as 1783. Both the Samuels family (Maker’s Mark) and Evan Williams have claims. A Baptist minister, Elijah Craig, joined them just six years later in 1789, and the Beams followed suit when they sold their first barrel of “Old Jake Beam Sour” whiskey in 1795.

Whiskey was being made and labeled as bourbon in reference to a cluster of counties all called Bourbon, not the single Bourbon County of today. It was not until 1840 that the name “bourbon” became the commonly used term.

In 1964, bourbon was declared “America’s Native Spirit” by an act of Congress, at which time regulations were instituted to define what signifies a bourbon. That 1964 declaration gives us the rules of bourbon that we live by today.

While the vast majority of bourbon is from Kentucky, more and more states are beginning to produce it.

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SPIRITED GROWTH Bourbon has always enjoyed popularity. Because bourbon is aged, the spirits on the shelf today were put in barrels years before, so inventory is locked in far ahead of the sale. In recent years, bourbon’s popularity has skyrocketed and so have prices. A good deal of the demand is attributed to Asian markets, where the taste for fine whiskeys has driven demand to record highs. An increase in demand and a trend for craft libations has resulted in more craft bourbon producers.

THE RULES OF BOURBON Location To be categorized as bourbon whiskey, “America’s Native Spirit,” the spirit must meet certain criteria. First, bourbon must be pro-

duced within the United States Recipe The grain mixture used to produce the bourbon, called the mash bill, must contain at least 51 percent corn. Most bourbons contain 60-80 percent corn. The remaining grains can be wheat, rye, or malted barley. Fresh spring water is often used. One thing that distinguishes Kentucky bourbon is the use of naturally limestonefiltered spring water. No coloring or flavoring may ever be added to bourbon.

Aging Barrels used to age bourbon must be fresh American white oak, which must be charred and used only once. Bourbon must be aged at least four years to be labeled “Straight Bourbon.”

Proof The spirit must be distilled at no more than 160 proof, enter the barrel for aging at no more than 125 proof, and bottled at no less than 80 proof.

Final Product Bourbon is sold from a single barrel or in small or large batches, which are blends from multiple barrels. If it is barrel proof, then no water has been added after the whiskey is removed from the barrel. It can also be sold filtered or unfiltered. Almost all bourbon is filtered.

MISSISSIPPI INTRODUCES BOURBON Run by proprietor David Rich, Rich Grain Distillery produced Mississippi’s first three bourbons: a Wheated Bourbon, a High-Rye Bourbon, and a Four-Grain Bourbon. In 2017, the Four-Grain Bourbon was the first bourbon released to the public. Rich Grain later released the Wheated Bourbon and the High-Rye Bourbon, along with the Four-Grain Bourbon in a holiday gift set. All three bourbons are handmade and bottled at 90 proof.

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Spring 2019

RICH GRAIN DISTILLERY 339 W Peace St. Canton, MS 39046 601-391-3190 richdistilling.com The Wheated Bourbon mash bill contains 66 percent corn, 17 percent malted barley, and 17 percent wheat. Bottled at 90 proof.

The High-Rye Bourbon mash bill contains 66 percent corn, 17 percent malted barley, and 17 percent rye. Bottled at 90 proof.

The Four-Grain Bourbon mash bill contains 66 percent corn, 17 percent malted barley, 8.5 percent rye, and 8.5 percent wheat.

Bottled at 90 proof.

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Cathead Distillery, Mississippi’s first and oldest distillery since Prohibition was repealed, released its first bourbon, named “Old Soul Bourbon,” in November 2018. Mississippi’s fourth bourbon, Old Soul, is a high-rye mash bill bourbon. The mash bill contains 75 percent corn, 21 percent rye, and 4 percent malted barley.

Tours are available at both distilleries. Each brand is available in many Mississippi stores that sell spirits, but the Rich Grain Wheated and High Rye bourbons are only available at Beside the Grain, a spirits store located in the same building as the Rich Grain Distillery. Beside the Grain also features a mural of the history of whiskey making on the outside of their building.

Since Prohibition ended in Mississippi in 1966, the road was cleared for Bourbon manufacturing. Now Rich Grain Distillery and Cathead Distillery have brought bourbon production to our state.

Rich Grain Distilling offers distillery tours featuring a spirits tasting session every Saturday from 11am to 4pm on the hour for $7 per adult. Kids are free but do not get to sample the wares. A variety of Rich Grain products, including Mississippi’s first three bourbons, can be found at spirit stores and fine establishments throughout Mississippi and beyond. For more information, visit richdistilling.com or facebook.com/richgraindistillingco.

CATHEAD DISTILLERY 422 South Farish St. Jackson, MS 39201 601-667-3038 catheaddistillery.com Cathead Distillery is located at the corner of Court Street and Farish Street in downtown Jackson. The 20,000-sq-ft facility offers tours and spirits tastings for $15 on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 3pm to 7pm. Tour guests are welcome to extend their visit at an inhouse craft beer bar where they can also enjoy ping-pong, board games, and a gift shop stocked with Cathead spirits, shirts, hats, and other gear. Dogs and kids are welcome but can only partake from the nonalcoholic beverages.

BESIDE THE GRAIN 339 B West Peace St. Canton, MS 39046 601-391-3701 facebook.com/BesidetheGrain Beside the Grain is a spirits and wine store that sells all of the Rich Grain bourbons in addition to a wide selection of tried and true spirit and wine brands.

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Manufactured in Mississippi

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Spring 2019

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Spartan Mosquito is on a mission to help the people of the world, and are on track to grow a company worth hundreds of

millions of dollars in the process. When they introduced the Spartan Mosquito

Eradicator into the retail market in June of 2017, the initial consumer response

far exceeded expectations. Now Spartan Mosquito is one of Mississippi’s fastest growing companies.

BRYAN CARTER / FEATURED WRITER

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Spartan Mosquito has made the battle against mosquito bites a business model and it is proving to be big business.

Spartan has become another shining example of a company that has been extremely successful at growing a manufacturing operation from the ground up in Mississippi’s manufacturing-friendly environment. Spartan’s year-to-year percentage growth is currently measured in thousands.

A big part of Spartan’s win in this business is having a product that works, since so many mosquito control products

on the market do not deliver. The market stimulus is that mosquitoes inhabit nearly all parts of the world (except Antarctica), and that people universally hate mosquitoes and the trouble they bring.

Mosquitoes are a nuisance. They are notoriously difficult to avoid and they carry several diseases that can often be life threatening. Among the more dangerous and notable diseases are malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, encephalitis, West Nile, and Zika.

THE WORLD’S DEADLIEST ANIMAL In the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal published on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, it is reported that each year mosquitoes are responsible for more deaths than any other animal.1 Mind you, it is not the irritating bite that kills; rather, it is the wide array of illnesses that are vectored, or carried, by mosquitoes.

While densely populated areas are most at risk for disease outbreaks, American suburbia has been hit particularly hard by fatalities from West Nile and Zika.

The World Health Organization (WHO), in a Kobe Center 2014 report,2 listed malaria as the most devastating mosquitovectored disease, claiming more than 600,000 lives annually and leaving 200 million individuals sick and incapacitated for days. The WHO reports that malaria cases in 2017 numbered 219 million, up two million from 2016. Deaths from malaria worldwide in 2017 numbered 435,000.3 Bill Gates, whose foundation has done groundbreaking work in mosquito control in Africa, reports on Gates Notes how dangerous mosquitoes actually are to people.4 Mosquitoes are found in every region of the world except Antarctica. They are the third largest insect population on the planet, just behind termites and ants. Mosquitoes are responsible for 50,000 times more deaths each year than sharks, but they don’t garner the same attention as sharks and other deadly animals such as snakes, crocodiles, and spiders. There is no “Mosquito Week” on TV. It is not just the pesky mosquito bite that is the problem.

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STRATEGIC SCIENCE Spartan Mosquito Eradicators are hung in trees along the perimeter of a property. These are not traps. These devices attract mosquitoes, which feed on the solution, fly away, and are eradicated. They control mosquito populations by eliminating the active “hunting” mosquitoes, which are often females preparing to lay eggs.

Once the Eradicators are properly prepared and placed (typically hung in trees), they work to form a barrier to lure hunting mosquitoes by emitting the same attractants that draw mosquitoes to people and animals. Mosquitoes that feed will perish before they reproduce, thus shutting down the breeding cycle.

No eggs, no mosquitoes.

No mosquitoes, no bites.

Fewer bites equal fewer opportunities for mosquitovectored illnesses, which leads to happier barbecues and kids playing outdoors.

Spartan Mosquito’s Eradicators are so effective that they eliminate up to 95 percent of the mosquitoes in their zone of protection in around two weeks, and they continue to work for up to three months.

A WELCOMED INVENTION Mississippi-born manufacturer Spartan Mosquito introduced the Spartan Mosquito Eradicator to the public through small mom-and-pop retail stores in Mississippi during the middle of the mosquito season in 2017. After using existing lackluster products to thwart mosquito bites including candles, coils, lights, and spray-on chemicals, people were amazed at how well Spartan Mosquito Eradicators worked. The price point of less than $25 per box was also right.

Spring 2019

THE FIRST BOOM Within several weeks of being introduced, Spartan Mosquito Eradicators were being sold in retail stores across Mississippi. Sales continued to accelerate and, by the end of 2017, the company was preparing for over 1,000 more retail stores across the nation. This explosive growth propelled the company through three production setups and two warehousing strategies in a matter of months. In November, just six months after introducing their product to retail stores, Spartan had moved from their small, makeshift production spaces into a 63,000-sq-ft warehouse in Laurel, Mississippi.

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MISSISSIPPIANS USING WHAT THEY HAVE TO HELP OTHERS.

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PEOPLE AND CARS LINE UP AT A SPARTAN HURRICANE RELIEF LOCATION.

The people of Mississippi are known for their charity.

Spartan is a Mississippi company that uses its resources to help others. Some of Spartan’s socially conscious acts include hurricane relief; setting up mosquito control for churches, schools, and children’s camps; and international donations.

Spartan Mosquito has reached out to hurricane victims in Florida, Texas, and North Carolina and given away enough Eradicators to cover hundreds of square miles of land, helping to protect thousands of families.

Spartan has also helped a community in Laos by constructing a school to teach English to children and adults. The school building holds up to 70 students and includes housing for up to three volunteer teachers.

MANAGING EXPLOSIVE GROWTH Spartan’s emphasis on marketing and sales successfully led the company into new markets — enabling people to learn about and try the Eradicators for the first time. However, another challenge was ever present and growing. Spartan had to manage and scale, in realtime, teams and facilities for production, distribution, and their central office function as sales simultaneously grew at breakneck speed. Vendors and backup vendors had to be tested and added, production lines had to be

grown, reconfigured, grown, and reconfigured again.

Back office functions like accounting and legal needed to be established, assessed, and rethought for budget and requirements through multiple stages of successive, rapid growth.

Planned fluidity is a difficult but necessary achievement in a company with rapidly changing requirements. In order to be successful, Spartan had to live and perform in a real-time, changing operational environment.

RAMPING UP In 2018, production ramped up and the new warehouse began to fill. To ensure inventories could be produced within timeframes, Spartan developed redundant supply chains.

Vendors were tested to gauge their actual delivery capacity and timeframes versus their promised ones. Schedules had to be fluid, while directives were focused in order to manage cash flows and meet goals.

A dedicated, full-time support team had to be established to operate the newly opened, third-party, online marketplaces alongside the existing retail brick-and-mortar locations.

World-class support processes had to be constructed and implemented within the team. Product packaging and collateral had to evolve. Advertising channels had to be secured. All the while, Spartan was hiring and the team was in a growth flux. Specialized departments were established.

Business growth was every bit as explosive.

NATIONAL PRESENCE At the close of the 2018 mosquito season, less than 18 months after launching retail, Spartan Mosquito Eradicators were being sold in 47 states in America and the company had officially begun accepting meetings with big box stores.

In addition, Spartan had production facility requests from every continent, except Antarctica, and they were beginning to accept meetings with countries that were interested in producing and selling the product. The new 63,000-sq-ft warehouse space had already become tight.

A COMPANY TO WATCH This Mississippi startup has come a long way in less than two years. They have shown that Mississippians know how to pull together to make a manufacturing business run. Pay attention in 2019 as this Mississippi-born manufacturing company enters new markets with a growth rate that is normally associated with the tech world. https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/eideas/5/TopicArticle https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/vector- borne-diseases 3 https://www.who.int/malaria/en 4 https://www.gatesnotes.com/Health/Most-LethalAnimal-Mosquito-Week 1

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BY BRYAN CARTER / FEATURED WRITER

Glenn McCullough, Jr., executive director for the Mississippi Development Authority, is a native Mississippian with a burning desire to see Mississippi’s economic development not just succeed, but exceed expectations.

Spring 2019

The Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) is one of Mississippi’s most influential state agencies and it shoulders great responsibility in creating and supporting programs and policies that help direct Mississippi toward economic gains and increased workforce capabilities. To make that vision a reality, the MDA has systems in place to constantly monitor the economic state of growth and the pipeline of potential projects considering locating in or expanding in Mississippi.

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IT’S THE PEOPLE While McCullough is a firm believer in metrics, he places his greatest emphasis for success on the people of Mississippi. He believes they are the backbone of economic development. They provide the workforce with characteristics that cannot be trained. McCullough describes Mississippi as a state with people who have a “unique sense of place,” where the partnership between its people and companies breeds success. He sees the strength in a Mississippi populace who want careers over jobs. “We are all just two degrees (people) of separation from anyone in the state. We are accountable.” Says McCullough regarding the dedication of Mississippians, “If we work for a manufacturer, we are going to make them the best manufacturer on Earth.”

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Mississippi Works Mississippi Works focuses on three main areas of economic development: 1 To help craft a long-range strategy to expand economic opportunities in Mississippi with a focus on workforce development; 2 To help bring new investments to all regions of our state while continuing to grow existing businesses and expand them into new markets; 3 To provide a forum for Mississippi business leaders to learn about all the great work going on throughout our state, and giving them tools they can use to spread awareness of Mississippi’s success stories around our nation and world.

ON THE BOOKS This manufacturer-sponsored program is proWith 89 major projects in the pipeline, the MCCULLOUGH TO viding $50 million in funding over time, which MDA is managing one of Mississippi’s most MANUFACTURERS: is used to fund academies and apprenticeship robust economic pipelines in years. Each proj“YOU WILL programs in the state. ect is groomed and guided by the MDA. The ACHIEVE YOUR team at the MDA works alongside resource GOALS IN Diesel Academy providers creating partnerships and alliances MISSISSIPPI.” The Hinds Community College Diesel Techthat help ensure the greatest opportunity for nology Academy offers students classroom and success for new or existing manufacturers in hands-on training with diesel technologies and realMississippi that are expanding operations and world equipment. Graduates of this program are job seeking support. Partner organizations include local ready and many join Mississippi-based trucking companies. economic development offices, state agencies, utilities, community colleges, and research universities.

Furniture Academy The Mississippi State Furniture Academy launched in 2017 and A WORKFORCE THAT WINS started with a partnership of MSU, Itawamba Community ColWhen it comes to economic development, McCullough leads lege, Northeast Mississippi Community College, Community Dewith: “We win with people.” He sees heart in Mississippians who velopment Foundation, Three Rivers Planning and Development strive to be successful with a career to provide an honorable livDistrict, and four furniture companies. Today, there are 10 furniing for their families. Mississippians are proud of what they have ture companies that partner in this academy and have first interachieved and how they participate in the world. view rights with the graduates. There are student scholarships, and Having heart is a competitive advantage. The programs that Misgraduates can get higher compensation based on their certification sissippi has put into place in order to develop the talent of its workfrom the academy. force are driven by this desire to achieve.

Mississippi has a strong culture of manufacturing. With incentives for new and growing manufacturers, there are tangible career paths for workers in the industry. Programs are in place that support a continuously learning workforce that is being developed with the future of manufacturing in mind. Partnerships between the public and private sectors add grounded funding. Dual curriculum opportunities allow Mississippi residents to accelerate their entry into manufacturing careers.

Glenn McCullough, Jr., working with a dedicated MDA staff, the governor’s office, state agencies, educational institutions, and private companies across the state, is helping to drive Mississippi toward its future as a leader in manufacturing. He concludes with another simple promise:

“We will do more.”

Coding Academies The Mississippi Community Colleges Board, Innovate Mississippi, and the MDA launched Mississippi’s first public/private co-funded coding academy in 2017 and its first class graduated in 2018. The academies are training newly graduated high school and college students to become computer programmers. The first training program placed students in an immersive, full-time, five-day-aweek training environment for nine months. Sponsorship and curriculum guidance come from private industry and many students in the programs have job offers before graduation. Five more coding academy programs are expected to be offered by Mississippi community colleges in 2019.

WORKING IN A DIRECTION The heart of manufacturing is creation, and Mississippi has shown that it does that well. Mississippi directly employs 13 percent of its workforce in manufacturing, compared with 5-6 percent of most states. Mississippi manufacturers supply the world’s most advanced radar systems, automobiles, warships, helicopters, aerospace technologies, and more. Mississippi manufacturers are adding value and innovation to agricultural technologies, forestry, healthcare, medical device technologies, and to many other fields.

DID YOU KNOW? RAYTHEON, LOCATED IN FOREST, MISSISSIPPI, MANUFACTURES THE MOST ADVANCED RADAR SYSTEM IN THE WORLD. IT CAN DETECT AND TAKE OUT (WITH PARTNERED WEAPONS SYSTEMS) A FOOTBALL OVER 800 MILES AWAY.

MISSISSIPPI MANUFACTURES THE DRONES THAT NEUTRALIZE THREATS TO U.S. MILITARY SHIPS

Spring 2019

ISRAEL AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES AND STARK AEROSPACE IN LOWNDES COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI, ARE MANUFACTURERS IN “DAVID’S SLING” AND THE “IRON DOME” DEFENSE SYSTEM THAT DEFENDS ISRAEL FROM INCOMING MISSILES. OF 500 MISSILES LAUNCHED FROM PALESTINE INTO ISRAEL, ONLY ONE MISSILE MADE IT THROUGH.

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BY BRYAN CARTER / FEATURED WRITER

In Mississippi, we have the benefit of being home to many manufacturing companies, and Jeremy Chrislip, CEO of Custom Metal Solutions, has a tale to tell. It is a story of success built on character, planning, and execution. Knowing the start-up story as told directly from the founder provides a privileged look at the nature of the success of a newly established player in Mississippi’s manufacturing community.

Spring 2019

Mississippi is known for launching new manufacturing enterprises. Custom Metal Solutions is turning hard work, toughas-steel tenacity, and a strategic plan into an industry leadership model. It is a story of vision, mentorship, ambitious learning, planning, and defiance.

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BUILDING BLOCKS Childhood As a child, Jeremy spent time with his grandfather as he visited his business customers. During these early years, Jeremy was learning. He was doing what many parents (and grandparents) hope kids are doing when we are passing along “adult”-level lessons — he was absorbing. He was taking direction and learning lessons that would help guide his view of entrepreneurship and his measure of success. Jeremy’s grandfather knew the nature of the customer relationship and how to nurture it to build and sustain a business, and Jeremy was inheriting it. To this day, Jeremy still quotes his grandfather and uses his grandfather’s anecdotes to guide his team.

GRANDFATHER’S RULES • Work hard • Keep your head down • Keep your nose clean • Tuesday means Tuesday • If you can’t walk from point A to point B, you are wasting your time Formal Years As Jeremy grew up, he found a place in team sports — excelling in football, basketball, baseball, and golf. He attended business school at Mississippi College as a football student athlete and finished in four years. One of the most valuable lessons he garnered from his school years came from sports: the strength of a team. He came to understand

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how to depend on other people as they are in turn depending on you; to act as a group working toward a mutual goal with complete trust. This became integral in Chrislip’s view of success. This lesson would have a role in defining his search for a work culture that embodied his idea of “team.”

Corporate Learning Chrislip’s first career position in the metal industry was as an inside sales representative. He was hired by a Navy veteran and engineer who had chosen to go into sales. This gentleman would become Chrislip’s first professional mentor. Chrislip was pushed to learn all pricing and processes in order to sell properly. His new boss gave him hard but valuable marching orders: “Learn the business from the inside out, the ups and downs, the lefts and rights, and everywhere in between. Then you can have conversations with people. Otherwise, you are worthless to me.”

Notepad in hand, Chrislip spent every day increasing his product knowledge, understanding capabilities, and mastering quality measures. Daily lunches with his boss and mentor included drills on new knowledge and shared industry insights.

Every opportunity to learn and lead was taken. In his early career, Chrislip worked in operations and sales. He was then recruited to participate on a $10 million project to re-engineer the company’s computer systems. It was here that he had the opportunity to formally put together all of the pieces: order entry, costing components, building, materials, inventory, sales, and distribution.

He was assigned to the design and quality assurance teams and was then deployed in setup and training. He mastered the systems and transactions. Jeremy learned the ins, outs, ups, downs, lefts, rights, and everywhere in between.

Twenty-five employees were identified as potentials in a succession plan for the leadership team as the CEO was preparing to retire and the leadership team was preparing to shift. Chrislip was chosen as one of the candidates. The candidates were sent to Rice University to participate in an executive training program. However, leadership positions were slow to open and Chrislip was feeling the need to find a culture that better resembled the sports team model that never left his mind.

The next two years began with a new position as a national sales manager, when he also developed relationships with people in the industry as he began offering consulting as a favor. By the time Chrislip was ready to venture out on his own, he had all of the pieces lined up to do it successfully.

START UP After a great deal of research and planning, Chrislip launched Custom Metal Solutions. Equipment was located, funding was aligned, and alliances were formed. The company began with secured funding and vertical integration, where the primary investor was also the company’s first customer. This conservative approach to a launch model added stability and

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Best Practices Vertical integration aligned the company. Best practices made it better. Vision made it work together.

Chrislip now had the opportunity to mold a company using the best practices he had been filing away during his early career.

He drew inspiration and direction from the three greatest teachers he had in his life: his grandfather, sports, and his mentor. He had done his homework. He had industry knowledge and contacts.

He knew how he wanted to model the culture. Jeremy says he is doing nothing new, that he is just executing what is known to be the right way. However, he also brought a few new ideas to the table.

Chrislip had developed buying channels for steel that his competitors could not compete with. Custom Metal Solutions added value by offering “roll to stock” and “roll to order, ” and offered the convenience of on-site off-loading.

Growth to Retail Custom Metal Solutions was executing to plan. Wholesale baseline volume determined distribution. The next strategic step was to leverage wholesale security to establish a retail channel. Custom Metal Solutions reached out to a reputable design agency and established its retail brand, secured a logo, built a website, and began to market its products to the public.

The result has been another integrated sales channel that has experienced continuous growth.

CUSTOM METAL SOLUTIONS Today, Custom Metal Solutions has a matured operations group and salesforce. They are focused on integrated, vertical business channels. They continually seek out ways to sort out efficiencies for their customers and their internal operations, and attention is given to smarter throughput and time to delivery. Custom Metal Solutions is an established and growing company that has earned a place in the Mississippi manufacturing landscape. Says Chrislip of his success, “I don’t have time to look in the rearview mirror.”

“I DON’T HAVE TIME TO LOOK IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR.”

Spring 2019

predictability to the start up. Once the business opened, many of Chrislip’s close connections chose to do business with the new company.

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Manufactured in Mississippi

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BY HOLLY HICKS AND DR. MONICA TISACK

The Mississippi Polymer Institute (MPI) celebrates its 25th Anniversary and the School of Polymer Science and Engineering continues to forge new ground as a renowned establishment at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM).

THE MISSISSIPPI POLYMER INSTITUTE ANNIVERSARY Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the MPI has made a name for itself as a hub for assisting advanced-material businesses in their growth efforts. The industrial outreach service for the University of Southern Mississippi originated in the Depart-

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As the world around us evolves and there is demand for change, the University of Southern Mississippi has risen to the forefront as a leader in innovative research. The need for advanced material understanding for industrial growth has the attention of Mississippi Polymer Institute (MPI) and the School of Polymer Science and Engineering. Director Dr. Monica Tisack discusses activities at MPI, and Professors Dr. Derek Patton, Dr. Xiaodan Gu, and Dr. Jason Azoulay discuss new advances in research and the future of polymer research.

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ment of Polymer Science, and its success can be attributed to “standing on the shoulders” of the university’s institutional knowledge of material science while honing services that focus on industry and commercialization needs.

MPI now operates within the Accelerator, a facility located at USM's Innovation and Commercialization Park five miles off the main Hattiesburg campus.

Clients can lease space for their STEMbased businesses while taking advantage of USM's resources.

In the beginning, work came from needs in the paint and coatings industry; however, MPI now works in many polymer market segments including personal protection, medical, forensics, aerospace, automotive, electronics, and consumer products, just to name a few. The last couple of years have seen an expansion and diversification in customer needs.

Testing and workforce training needs are continually growing, and manufacturing troubleshooting work often yields multimillion-dollar benefits. However, it’s the demand for product development that is really taking off, both in large companies and area startups. MPI has been growing to address those needs.

“One at- want that capability locally. MPI is in a tractive and unique position to be able to help many growing use companies that possess the lab-scale of polymers technology but need that extra hand to is in the de- get to the next stage and ultimately grow velopment of the local community of technically based medical de- businesses.” vices,” said Dr. Monica Tisack, di- MATERIALS CAPABILITIES EXPAND AT rector of MPI, where THE SCHOOL OF POLYMER SCIENCE AND they are working with ENGINEERING startups that need medical There continues to be an evolution in device prototypes for clinical tri- advanced materials, and while USM is als and external multinational corpora- widely known for excellence in and contions that are developing new products to tributions to the coatings and aerospace improve human health. “This is an excit- composite industry, there are other areas ing and innovative area for advanced ma- of material expertise and capabilities that terials that will continue to grow.” are also building momentum locally. We “Another type of product development were able to get three professors’ input on activity where there’s a real need is a (lo- polymer research, trends, and potential cal) means for scale-up work. We have for local industry participation. several active programs currently, and Dr. Derek Patton, associate profeswe want to be able to address even more sor at the School of Polymer Science companies when they don’t have and Engineering, described many the equipment needed for activities at the school that market demonstration. are currently underway.

This can be done with First, the university has THE UNIVERSITY a multifunctional reorganized itself in OF SOUTHERN and configurable such a way as to gain MISSISSIPPI’S X-RAY pilot plant at more collaboration MPI, and that’s between the differPHOTOELECTRON the vision for ent groups, which SPECTROMETER IS THE our next phase means there will MOST ADVANCED of growth. This be more interdisallows a broader ciplinary bodies of AVAILABLE DEVICE OF range of needs to work.

Second, they ITS KIND IN be met so that more have been adding MISSISSIPPI. entities can come state-of-the-art instruin and develop their mentation and equipment products on a larger scale,” for small-angle X-ray scattering Dr. Tisack explained. “We know (SAXS) or wide-angle X-ray scattering of companies that need to demonstrate (WAXS) as well as chemical vapor descalability and market traction, and they position (CVD). The most recent is the

X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) — an instrument that will enable surface elemental analysis at nanometer depths with minimal compositional disturbance.

This new equipment has some of the most advanced capabilities of their kind in Mississippi. There’s also the big news that the school has recently been approved to establish the Center for Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, as well as adding two new professors. One professor will specialize in polymer physics and physical chemistry, while the other specializes in biomaterials.

Bio-inspired Polymers Dr. Derek Patton is an expert in bioinspired polymers, and this is an area he expects to see grow based on interest and demand for antifouling coatings, new antimicrobial materials, and new biodegradable materials that degrade efficiently into eco-friendly by-products.

A bio-inspired polymer is one that is developed when a researcher looks to nature to find examples of the function they are trying to create, and then molecularly designs materials to mimic those types of properties. For example, the surface of a lotus leaf or a rose petal exhibits a hierarchical roughness that results in excellent anti-wetting properties that are critical for the design of coatings

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THE FUTURE OF POLYMERS

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that prevent unwanted organism growth or membranes for liquid-liquid separations.

Dr. Patton’s group creates polymer coatings that have similar types of hierarchical roughness ranging from nanometers to microns that are anti-wetting, just as in nature. One goal is to create oilwater separation membranes using scalable processes such as spray applications and UV curing to apply these coatings to common textiles. This approach provides a quick and cost-effective means of separating oil from water. They’ve also worked with companies and national park agencies to create anti-fouling coatings to protect and restore historical gravestones.

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Functional Degradability A second example of using nature as a source for polymer design is an NSFfunded project to synthesize degradable materials capable of tunable and sustained release of natural bioactive agents.

“Many aldehydes found in the essential oils of plants, such as thyme, star anise seed, or vanilla beans, exhibit antimicrobial properties. In collaboration with Dr. Dimitri Mavrodi in the university’s biology department, we are using these aldehydes as building blocks for degradable polymers.” Dr. Patton explains,

“Ultimately when the polymer degrades, it degrades into the original active component that can be used to mitigate the growth of bacteria and fungus in many applications, including food product packaging.”

Dr. Patton is also exploring similar design concepts, using essential oil constituents as building blocks to create polymers that, once discarded, rapidly degrade into innocuous byproducts under common landfill conditions.

Conductive Polymers Dr. Xiaodan Gu, assistant professor in the Polymer Science and Engineering Department, leads a group of researchers who study an existing frontier in polymer electronics. When considering polymers and plastics, there is a new trend where polymers are

becoming more prevalent in high-end applications electronics. Some technologies have already been commercialized. For example, the latest-generation smartphones and TVs are made with an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology. The key enablers of those technologies are polymers that conduct electricity. It may be surprising to some since plastic is usually an insulator, but it can be designed to conduct electricity.

Dr. Gu believes the future of polymer science will increasingly involve applications requiring high-value components with new functionality not achievable with the traditional silicon transistors that are in plastic

THE UNVEILING OF A NEW CENTER According to Dr. Jason Azoulay, assistant professor in the Polymer Science and

Engineering Department and recipient of complex materials, systems, and associthe 2017 Nokia-Bell Labs Prize, there are ated technologies. The collaborative rea number of exciting projects going on at search across Mississippi extends across the university. One of the research proj- many different fields such as polymer ects underway includes next science, chemistry, biological generation-infrared opsciences, and marine scitoelectronic technoloences and is relevant to THE LATESTgies based on organic energy, biomedical, GENERATION semiconductors. and environmental SMARTPHONES AND Optoelectronics science products.

TVS ARE MADE WITH is the technology From an indusof electronic detrial perspective, AN ORGANIC LIGHTvices that interact making electronic EMITTING DIODE (OLED) with light or other devices has been TECHNOLOGY THAT “invisible” forms historically exUSES POLYMERS of radiation. The pensive, but now goal is to make soone can get started THAT CONDUCT phisticated materials making highly comELECTRICITY. easier to manufacture, plex molecules that do which will overcome a masophisticated things with the jor technological need for nextaddition of a few new instruments generation devices. In fact, Dr. Azoulay and equipment that make them comhas demonstrated through his research mercially viable and available at a fracthat hundreds of innovative materials tion of the cost. can be produced affordably and in very short periods of time, enabling high THE POLYMER EVOLUTION AND REthrough-put screening and acceleration SOURCES TO INDUSTRY of the R&D phase.

The Polymer Evolution is here, and In conjunction with this area of re- the University of Southern Mississippi search, the school is now home of the continues to be at the forefront of this Center for Optoelectronic Materials expanding territory. Mississippians do and Devices, which will advance prog- not have to look far to get expertise, a ress with a premier facility that allows glimpse of what the future can hold in faculty and students to operate, research, the area of polymer science and engiand compete at a national level. The cen- neering, or to find commercialization ter will initiate and promote collabora- support to grow their product portfolio tive research to enable advancements in and manufacturing capabilities. the design, synthesis, and control of

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solar cells, wearable and even implantable bioelectronics.

“For example, I worked with Prof.

Zhenan Bao at Stanford University who is making rapid progress in bioelectronics. Bioelectronics can provide a way to restore human touch or movement by an external stimulus in the event of bodily injury or a situation where brainwaves have a disconnection from the intended point of movement. In the near future, injured soldiers will regain the ability to walk using this sort of technology by connecting the nerve with an external prosthetic device. Polymeric materials are the perfect candidates for this type of complex procedure due to their tailorable physical properties and electronic functions, making them more compatible with the human body.”

In the short term and more related to Mississippi manufacturing, he sees printed electronics as a perfect option.

Printed electronics have already been commercialized in OLED televisions. In the battle of OLED vs LED televisions, OLED TVs have a considerably better picture quality and contrast. With some modifications to existing manufacturing technologies, printed electronics could easily be produced in Mississippi.

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BY RICKY RAYBORN

In recent years, employment background screening has gone from a costly and time-consuming task to an automated and technologydriven necessity where employers expect fast,accurate, and inexpensive results.

Job applicants and hiring managers often get frustrated with the hiring process when the same questions need to be answered multiple times and tracking applicants is labor intensive because the employee information management system is not integrated with the background screening and drug testing services.

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APPLICATION TRACKING SYSTEMS An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is a software application designed to help employers recruit employees more efficiently. Integrating the employment background screening and drug testing services with an ATS is advantageous to employers as well as their applicants.

FAST RESULTS The main goal of both integration and automation is access to fast results.

Rapid and accurate results are critical in helping hiring managers efficiently move through the hiring process.

Where it previously took days to ob-

tain the results of a county-level crimistant searches allow employers to move nal background check, hiring managers forward in the hiring process by quickly now receive rapid confirming or valiresults from a nadating basic inWHAT USED TO TAKE DAYS tionwide search. formation such as IS NOW AUTOMATED WITH In short, databases a Social Security and file transfer number or name TECHNOLOGY THAT YIELDS technologies have and address history.

INSTANTANEOUS RESULTS. changed the landAutomated searches scape of employquickly move the ment screening. What used to take days employment screening and drug testing is now automated with technology that along by providing electronic delivery of yields instantaneous results. process updates and results. Eliminating time delays often associated with COMPETITIVE EDGE manual follow-up on important screenA greater number of employers are ing components such as drug testing, integrating instant and automated employment, or education verifications employment screening products into promotes a faster time-to-hire, which their hiring process to help them gain can make the difference in securing a a competitive edge when it comes to right candidate, especially in hypercomquickly hiring the best candidates. Inpetitive hiring environments.

AUTOMATION, INTEGRATION, AND COMPLIANCE Integrating employment screening, drug testing services, and I-9 E-Verify solutions into an employer’s Applicant Tracking System will result in reduced workload, faster time-to-hire, and a lesser likelihood of errors. The integration of background screening and drug testing processes with an employer’s ATS streamlines the background screening process with the hiring process. Implementing an ATS with a fullcycle hiring workflow “closes the loop,” with a consent-based SSN verification (CBSV) during pre-hire, I-9 and EVerify at the time of the job offer. That combined with ongoing monitoring during the remaining period of employment dramatically simplifies documenting the employee lifecycle.

FINDING THE RIGHT SOLUTION FOR YOUR COMPANY When it comes to pre-employment screening, there are choices. Finding a screening company with the right tools

and processes is key. Integrating an automated Applicant Tracking System can streamline the onboarding process and help ensure hiring compliance.

The right company will help make the transition easy, increase your company’s ability to quickly identify best candidates, and reduce the time-to-hire.

Empower your hiring process. Eliminate unnecessary labor, reduce costs, increase accuracy, integrate, and automate.

With the right solution in place, you can turn your company hiring process into a distinct competitive advantage.

“EMPOWER YOUR HIRING PROCESS”

2018 STATS

• 76 percent of HR leaders say emplyee onboard practices are underutilized at their organization.

• 36 percent of HR professionals

blame insufficient technology for their inability to automate and better organize onboarding programs, further inhibiting their ability to train managers in proper onboarding techniques.

2018 report on “New Hire Momentum: Driving the Onboarding Experience” a study by Kronos Incorporated (Kronos) and the Human Capital Institute (HCI).

EXPERT EA ARTICLE This Editorial is Provided

by an Industry Expert

Ricky Rayborn is the President of Laborchex, an accomplished author, and a veteran of the U. S. Marine Corps. Laborchex is a Brandon, Mississippi-based company that offers a full array of pre-employment screening services including Drug Testing, Criminal Background Checks, Driving Records, Employment Verification, and Department of Transportation (DOT) Verification with the convenience of easy, instantaneous, online access.

EA EXPERT ARTICLE

For more information about employment screening, documentaion services, and free consultations for qualifying businesses, contact Laborchex at 1-800-880-0366 or visit www.laborchex.com.

This Editorial is Provided Laborchex is an MMA partner and provides MMA by members an Industry Expert discounted pricing through the partnership program.

Spring 2019

ONBOARDING REGULATIONS In the United States, as part of onboarding a new employee, employers must ensure that all the required paperwork is properly completed and submitted, on time, with no exceptions.

A standardized and automated electronic Form I-9 and E-Verify solution that satisfies U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) requirements related to electronic creation, signatures, retention, and security of the Form I-9 ensures all onboarding paperwork meets regulations.

A paperless I-9 E-Verify solution enables employers to create, view, download, store, and print the Form I-9, as well as run management reports on demand. These solutions provide built-in tools such as automated error checking that help an employer complete forms accurately and promote compliance.

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Manufactured in Mississippi

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BY MATTHEW JACKSON / FEATURED WRITER

EXPERT EA ARTICLE This Editorial is Provided

by an Industry Expert

Spring 2019

Businesses in every market segment, from advertising to manufacturing, struggle to maintain an online presence that takes into account all of the aspects of the quickly changing landscape that is the internet.

From critical updates in website technology to being found on search engines to utilizing social media platforms, there are key pieces that every business needs to take into account when reviewing their online presence and how it works for their business.

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In 2017, the largest search engine, Google, made their first announcement that sites not deemed

“MOBILE FRIENDLY”

may be penalized in searches made from mobile devices.

WEBSITES BUILT FOR TODAY - LEAVING THE 90S Websites have changed dramatically over the years, especially with the ubiquity of mobile devices. No longer is a one page, content-free presence enough — not for search engines, and certainly not for target audiences — both now expect much more from the websites of the businesses they deal with.

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Google Cares In 2017, the largest search engine, Google, made their first announcement that sites not deemed “mobile-friendly” may be penalized in searches made from mobile devices. Cuttingedge websites are now being built responsive, meaning the layout of the site responds to the size of the device that the viewer is using. A site will look and function differently on a small cell phone screen compared to a large desktop computer monitor. At the end of the day, the ultimate goal is to rank sites that provide users the best experience based on their device, which is good both for the client and for businesses.

People Care Website design standards are forever in flux. Full-screen websites are all the rage right now, but at the end of the day, website

design and functionality has to match content and personality.

Avoiding “fad” designs not only saves money (since websites do not have to be constantly redesigned and redeveloped), but also helps your company look reliable and established, rather than fickle and chasing popularity with no substance.

Form and function need to work together for each business’s website to effectively represent that individual business.

STRATEGY 1: SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (SEO) SEO has become more complex.

on search engine algorithms to piece together what the business does and who their target audiences are — structured data markup can now be added to website code to identify anything from where the owner attended college to the amount of specific items your business has in stock. As search algorithms scan a website, they pick up the structured data markup, which allows your business to give very detailed information to the algorithm, thereby allowing the search engine to direct the proper traffic to your website.

STRATEGY 2: ONLINE ADVERTISING Another way to get in front of people searching for products and services is through paid online ads. This type of advertising allows your business to define target audiences, craft messaging that will call them to engage, created targeted ads, and then place these ads where your audience spends time online.

NON-RESPONSIVE VS. RESPONSIVE Google Adwords Google AdWords is a leader in online paid advertising, since you can create ad campaigns specifically to show in Google Search results. Google Search commands about 75 percent of search queries world wide, so odds are good that your audience is on Google. AdWords are PPC (pay per click), so you can write text, set target audiences, add keywords, and only pay if people click on your ads to learn more.

In Social Media Paid advertising in social media works similarly to AdWords. Depending on the specific platform (some offer more control than others), audiences can be defined, texts written, images and videos added, and then the created ads are set to work. With people spending increasingly more time on social media platforms, you can make these ads work best by carefully selecting the platforms that your target audience spends the most time on and concentrating efforts there.

Retargeting Retargeting ads are also rapidly growing in popularity, and can be placed nearly anywhere — search results, social media, and even third-party websites. These ads allow you to

Spring 2019

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is information added to a website’s code to help search engines, such as Google, properly identify key features of your business. Each search engine has its own search algorithm, which attempts to interpret the content on the website and backend code to display the website for people who are searching for those key features.

For much of the life of the internet, sufficient website SEO was quite easy to manage — a few keywords, a few links, and you were essentially primed to be found by people searching for you. As online interactions have become increasingly more important for individuals and businesses, not only has competition increased in virtually every market space, but so has the complexity of websites and of search algorithms.

No longer can companies “keyword stuff ” websites — instead of dropping dozens of keywords on each page, search engines expect you to carefully define what each page of your website is about.

No longer can you assume that a general overview of your company is sufficient — search algorithms now take into account features like locale, website traffic, the significance of your content, backlinks, consistency with social media, and overall online presence.

On the other hand, no longer do businesses have to rely solely

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“CONNECT WITH YOUR AUDIENCE...”

STRATEGY 3: SOCIAL MEDIA In order to reach customers and potential new clients, you have to meet them where they are.

Social media platforms — including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and many others — are a moderately recent feature of people’s online lives, but one that seems here to stay. Businesses have quickly discerned that the places where people gather to interact are places they can be reached.

For example, when everyone listened to the radio or watched the television, those were the platforms where businesses focused advertising dollars to share their message.

Today, people gather in huge numbers on social media platforms. More conservative advertising industries, including manufacturing, have largely shied away from a robust social media presence, primarily because of the feeling of newness and the uncertainty about how to tap into that new space.

To avoid feared “new media” pitfalls, the key word in all social media interactions for businesses is relationships. Social media is not a place to overtly advertise; it is a place to carry on conversations. Whether formal or informal, any interaction that places your business in conversation with a possible client is moving in the right direction.

“...because the most meaningful of all interactions are connective.”

Social media offers the perfect platform to get in front of potential customers, converse with them, and establish yourself as the go-to expert in your industry — all at a price point much lower than traditional advertising outlets like print or television.

Connect with your audience, because the most meaningful of all interactions are connective.

STRATEGY 4: CONTENT MARKETING How do businesses enhance their brand in even the most minor interactions?

Content marketing.

Strategically speaking, even if your business dominates its marketspace like Coca-Cola® or Amazon®, every interaction with a consumer or potential customer should be taken as a chance to further your brand.

Pithy statements and cutesy graphics do very little to substantively build a brand. Instead, base your business’s online strategy around meaningful content. Inform and educate — this will bring people back to you again and again. Content marketing that connects to an audience is not purely didactic, rather interactive and a joy to consume.

For example, instead of simply telling people that your product is better than the competition, delve into the problem you are solving, why it exists, and how you solve it. Let your expertise demonstrate why you are the company to trust rather than attempting to lower their respect for competitive products, services, and companies.

Content marketing works everywhere — sound website content, informative online ads, conversational interactions on social — it even works in print and television. Building your story around meaningful information creates a bond between consumer and company that no “in your face” ad can ever match.

COMPETITIVE ONLINE PRESENCE To remain competitive in today’s market, a successful online presence is necessary. By focusing on key strategies for websites, online advertising, and social media, any manufacturing company can interact with their audience online.

Matthew E. Jackson is vice president of client services at Think Webstore, a media production and integrated marketing agency based in Ridgeland, Mississippi, dedicated to helping companies realize marketing, branding, social, and online strategies. Among his various duties at Think, Jackson manages all aspects of social media and social media marketing for clients of the agency. He has been invited to speak about the use of social media by businesses, and has previously authored articles on social media usage. In addition to working with Think, Jackson is married, a father, an avid reader, a busy freelance writer, and a regular contributor to multiple publications.

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market your products to people who have already interacted with one of your online properties — hence the term “retargeting,” or “remarketing.”

Technology has gotten sufficiently sophisticated to even allow remarketing to happen at specific time intervals. A company can now show ads for product refills, for example, retargeting a person at the proper time for them to purchase refills. Whether getting back in front of a potential customer after three days, or reminding an existing customer after two months, retargeting ads can be crafted to keep your brand in front of consumers.

The world of paid advertising online is constantly growing and evolving, offering ways to reach consumers that were unimaginable only a few years ago.

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Whether it’s as big as a battleship or visible only with a microscope, Mississippi manufactures it.

If it’s going into outer space or coming in from overseas, Mississippians make it move.

Companies collaborate with our respected community college system for workforce training and utilize the nationally recognized centers of excellence at our universities for research and development. Mississippi is building one success story after another. That’s why companies like Rolls Royce, SpaceX, Northrop Grumman, NASA, Huntington Ingalls, GE Aviation, Airbus Helicopters, Aurora Flight Sciences and Raytheon have operations in Mississippi.

SPRING & SUMMER 2017

Let us help write your success story in Mississippi.

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Leading the Charge for Mississippi Manufacturers Every Day

Jay C. Moon, President & CEO Mississippi Manufacturers Association

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For More Information contact Shannon Hillman, Director of Membership & Educational Services, shannon@mma-web.org, 601-292-1127 or visit mma-web.org.