The Voice of Business - Mississippi Economic Council

Over the last decade, Mississippi saw more 72,000 people move out of the state than moved in. That would be the population of Mississippi’s second largest city. The MEC has announced Brain Drain as one of its top five strategic priorities, and Jake McGraw of the William Winter Institute discusses what can be done to reverse this trend.

Workforce development has always been a key issue with the Mississippi Economic Council but an issue in the past has been fragmented efforts. The state recently announced the Office of Workforce Development, known as Accelerate Mississippi, which will coordinate efforts and resources statewide and provide a one-stop shop. Newly named Director Ryan Miller discusses his vision for Accelerate Mississippi and the impact he sees for the state.

Governor Tate Reeves recently named John Rounsaville as Executive Director of the Mississippi Development Authority, a position he had served on an interim basis for nine months. In this podcast, Rounsaville discusses recent top level talent that joined the agency, recruitment efforts during the pandemic, the announcements by Amazon and Google to bring new operations to Mississippi and how the MDA is seeking to attract higher paying jobs.  And Rounsaville, a JAG and Major in the Mississippi Air Force National Guard, even touches on the military.

The 2021 Legislative Session is Quickly Approaching and the Mississippi Economic Council Will be Focusing on Several Key Issues—Workforce Development, Transportation, Talent Retention  and Eliminating the Estimated June Sales Tax. Of Course COVID Has Changed the Way the Legislature Conducts Business, and That Will Include Capital Day – MEC’s Largest Event of the Year. Capital Day in 2021 Will Be Held January 7th Virtually. Highlighting the Discussion Will Be a Panel on the New In God We Trust State Flag – How the Historic Vote Came About and What it Means for Our Future

MEC’s annual Hobnob event goes virtual in 2020 with Banter at the Ballpark. Hobnob will be live streamed from Trustmark Park, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., on Thursday October 29. The baseball themed event will include live panel discussions, virtual drawings, and conversations with both Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann and Speaker of the House Phillip Gunn. We'll also hear from U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith and Mike Espy concerning their Senate race. And there will be a special seventh-inning stretch. To register, please visit mec.ms.

MEC President and CEO Scott Waller interviews Judge Reuben Anderson, one of the most respected leaders in the state of Mississippi. Judge Anderson, a past MEC chairman, was the first African-American to serve on the Mississippi Supreme Court. Most recently he chaired the Committee to Redesign the Mississippi State Flag. Judge Anderson oversaw the nine-member committee that in two months reviewed more than 3,000 submissions for the new flag after the old flag was retired July 1. The committee’s choice, the In God We Trust Flag, will be on the ballot in November. Should it receive a majority of the votes, the design will become the new state flag. Truly a landmark day in Mississippi.

WorkKeys assessments help to measure workplace skills, and a knowledge of things that can affect your job performance. It gives employers and business owners a way of finding out if an individual possesses the workplace skills needed to perform well in a particular job. It’s not a measurement of reading and writing skills but rather a measurement of both hard and soft skills needed to do a job, regardless of the industry or occupation.

One of the key reasons for the MEC Tour is to allow as many individuals as possible from Mississippi’s business community to attend, learn and offer best practices to help improve business opportunities and economic development in Mississippi. This event has been a cornerstone of our MEC’s outreach  to gather input from members – and non-members – across the state. At the same time, you can hear from the MEC on what it considers the key issues facing our state, and how we are meeting them head-on.

The Mississippi Economic Council has long fought for superintendents of education to be selected by the school’s board rather than elected. That will finally become a reality in 2020 after a Legislative vote and the governor signing it into law. Listen to why this will be beneficial to the local school districts and the positive impact it should have on education in our state.

Governor Phil Bryant and First Lady Deborah Bryant will soon be leaving the state Mansion after eight years. At the recent Mississippi Hobnob they discussed Governor Bryant’s two terms and their lives in public service. They touch on what they will miss, what they won’t miss and also a few of the memorable moments. Listen and enjoy.