Mississippi Rolls into the New Century

By Torry Lyons

The pace of life in this Southern State has picked up speed over the past year.

Mississippi may not replace Detroit as the nation’s automotive capital anytime soon, but there’s no question that it is a rising player in the automotive industry. With the announcement that Nissan would be investing $930 million in a new plant in Mississippi, the industry was made aware of the state’s potential to become an outstanding center for manufacturing and distribution.

The 250,000-unit Nissan plant, located 15 miles north of Jackson, will employ 4,000 people.

“The factors that led Nissan to select Mississippi include an available, high quality work force, an excellent site with appropriate infrastructure, a supportive business climate, and excellent cooperation from state and local officials. Overall, the state offered a comfortable package for our company to begin a new business venture,” said Tom Groom, Nissan’s director of human resources.

The driving force

Nissan is not the only automotive company that has recognized the “supportive business climate” in Mississippi. This year Discount Auto Parts and Holley Performance Products have each moved into the state. The location of these facilities to the small cities of Aberdeen and Hazelhurst has already created growth that impacts the entire state.

Discount Auto Parts uses its Hazelhurst location as a key distribution center. Copiah County poured $2.7 million into the facility to create an infrastructure that includes an access road, a 500,000-gallon elevated tank and a fire loop. The county, which has struggled to keep unemployment low in recent years, believes the $2.7 million is a sound investment that will provide opportunities for local residents. Discount Auto currently employs 175 people, and projects to 369 when the facility is fully operational.

Bob Smira, executive director of the Copiah County Economic Development District said he is pleased with the plans, but is even more excited about the future opportunities the facility will provide. “In addition to the land that they currently operate on, Discount Auto owns land just north of the facility that would enable them to double its size,” he said. “We are hoping that they will do so over the next five years.”

Discount Auto chose the location from among 40 they were considering. Michael Moore, CFO of Discount Auto, said, “The site was advantageous for the company because of the excellent package of economic incentives offered by Copiah County, as well as the strong local labor force from which we can attract the team members we’ll need.”

A well-paved road

Yet another automotive company has the business climate of Mississippi to its liking. In rural Aberdeen, the closing of the Tenaco facility had left many residents without work. Jeff King, CEO of Holley Performance Products, recognized that the site would be perfect for the performance exhaust facility his company was looking to build.

“The state of Mississippi, Monroe County, the Monroe County Chamber of Commerce, and the city of Aberdeen have all been great partners in helping us fulfill our strategy of establishing a state-of-the-art U.S. based performance operation. We have found our Aberdeen operation to be excellent and we are very thankful for all of the help and cooperation that we have received.” King said.  

The facility has not only provided jobs for the people of Aberdeen, but also a sense of civic pride. “While in Aberdeen for the grand opening celebration, I had several people notice the Holley logo on my shirt and tell me how excited they were that we were here. It’s that kind of compliment that makes you feel like you are doing a good thing.” says Debra Varner of Holley.

The facility allows Holley to continue to manufacture products that are on the forefront in the industry.

Shifting economic gears

Each of these new manufacturing and distribution facilities creates employment opportunities for the citizens of these communities, but they also serve as catalysts for increased economic opportunity throughout the state.

J. C. Burns, executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority, referring to the progress of the Nissan facility, said, “It is exciting to see how this project continues to advance to the next stage of construction. Not only are we building a production facility, we are building future opportunities for our people.”

Mississippi may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of cars, but if current trends continue, someday it might.