Fielder’s Choice

Our part of the state got a plug from the south end during one of the sessions at the recent Mississippi Press Association Summer Convention in Biloxi.

Brice Wiggins, a state senator from Pascagoula, and Scott Waller, CEO of the Mississippi Economic Council, were the guests for a session on “Mississippi’s Reopening and Road to Recovery.” It focused on the state’s progress in moving forward after the pandemic.

Wiggins, who urged everyone to get vaccinated, said Mississippi “is like a jet, ready to take off.” He said state revenues are doing well, and “people are ready to get back.” Wiggins mentioned some of the hot spots in the state as far as economic growth, plus population increases, too, and those included areas of north Mississippi.

He didn’t specifically mention Marshall County and Chickasaw Trail Industrial Park, but it’s definitely one of the hottest spots in Mississippi and beyond. And new subdivisions to house potential new residents are in the works all around.

Wiggins also said people are exiting the larger cities like New Orleans, La., and coming to locations like Pascagoula and Bay St. Louis.

“People are moving to the Mississippi coast,” Wiggins said.

The same holds true in our area, with some coming from the nearby huge city of Memphis, Tenn.

Waller agreed about the “high interest in our state.”

“We’re recruiting things (industries) we thought we’d never recruit,” he said. “There’s lots of hope.” Both Wiggins and Waller agreed that a true economic turn hinges on Mississippi’s workers.

“We have to get people back to work,” Waller said.

They agreed eliminating the extra $300 in unemployment benefits will be a big help.

“Of course, it will take several weeks for that to cycle through,” Waller said. “But I hope we are in position soon to get people back in the workforce.”

He also stressed that there are great careers in the state not requiring four-year college degrees.

“We have to find a balance,” Waller said.

During a question-and-answer period, Wiggins emphasized the importance of developing downtown areas for bringing in new residents, particularly younger workers.

He said in Pascagoula, his hometown, there’s a push underway to attract those coming from out of state to work at places like Ingalls and Chevron.

The same can be held true in our part of the state for folks coming in to work at places like Amazon, Volvo, Rockwool and Niagara, just to name a few.

“We have to capitalize,” Wiggins said. “We have to make our smaller towns attractive for them. They’re looking for things to do.”

He urged the newspaper professionals in the audience to print a lot of positive news about the good things going on in Mississippi.

“When people get here (to our state), they love it here,” Wiggins said. “The problem is getting them here.”