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The
Divine Gulf Coast
Region helps create the Mississippi Miracle
The transportation
opportunities the Mississippi Gulf
Coast provides are a real asset for industry.
The Mississippi Gulf Coast might be called the "gold"
coast, the inspiration for the Mississippi Miracle of economic
prosperity.
The three-county region (Harrison, Hancock and Jackson) has
been credited with being the engine that has driven the state
to an economic renaissance over the past decade.
Historically led by the seafood, timber and tourism industries,
the Gulf Coast economy today includes everything from chemicals
to computers, from apparel to aerospace. Since 1992, more
than $3.5 billion in new commercial and industrial development
has been made in the Mississippi Coast, and nearly 38,500
jobs have been created. The Gulf Coast is home to more than
12,000 businesses, the second-highest concentration of businesses
in the state, and is home to three of Mississippi's top five
employers.
Turning the Gulf Coast into the gold coast has been the result
of the area's strategic location between New Orleans and Mobile;
its well-developed air, land, sea and rail arteries; low business
operations costs; and a resort climate that provides an unbeatable
quality of life.
Cities along the Gulf Coast have been ranked in Money magazine's
Best Places to Live; Forbes' Best Places to Start a Business;
Modern Maturity's Best Active Places to Retire; and Builder
Magazine's hottest housing markets in the United States. The
region boasts an overall cost of living below the national
average and is regarded as one of the most affordable urban
housing markets in the South.
The Gulf Coast's attributes are what led such companies as
DuPont, GE Plastics, Future Pipe, and MGM Grand and Grand
Casinos to locate facilities in the region.
Companies such as Wellman Inc., a world leader in the manufacture
of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) resin and polyester fiber,
have found the Gulf Coast appealing for a variety of reasons.
"When we looked at all the factors that impact the long-term
cost of doing business in a region, that's where the Mississippi
Gulf Coast came out on top," said a Wellman official.
The transportation opportunities available on the Mississippi
Coast are a big asset, said a GE Plastics spokesperson: "Most
of our raw materials come in by barge and go out on to rail
cars. That kind of accessibility, plus our proximity to a
major supplier in Louisiana, has literally saved us millions
of dollars in transportation costs."
One of the world's leading manufacturers of high performance,
anti-corrosive pipe systems, chose the area in 2002 specifically
for its business-friendly environment, access to skilled labor
and superb transportation facilities. The company Future Pipe,
which chose Gulfport, is an important addition to an emerging
composite materials cluster in the area anchored by Northrop-Grumman's
Composite Materials Center of Excellence in Gulfport and the
University of Southern Mississippi Polymer Science Center
in Hattiesburg.
The Mississippi Gulf Coast has that age-old attribute real
estate agents extol: location, location, location. The region
along the Gulf of Mexico is within a 24-hour drive of three-quarters
of the U.S. population and provides easy access to the rest
of North America and key markets in Mexico and Central and
South America. A well-developed multi-modal transportation
system guarantees quick distribution of finished products
and delivery of in coming raw materials, whether by land,
air, sea or rail.
Nine industrial parks encompassing more than 5,000 acres
are located in the region. These multi-modal parks offer not
only prime industrial sites on navigable waterways, but also
easy accessibility by rail, interstate and air, as well as
shipping from the Coast's deepwater ports at Gulfport and
Pascagoula. The presence of the Mississippi Coast Foreign
Trade Zone, along with numerous designated sub zones, provides
further transportation time and cost savings to manufacturers
and distributors.
The Gulf Coast's location also helps provide a great quality
of life. Known as the Playground of the South for its resort
climate, the region has 26 miles of sugar-white beach, along
with golf, casino gaming, and that all-important Southern
hospitality.
For new and expanding businesses, the area has several active
organizations ready to assist:
MS Gulf Coast Alliance for Economic Development-representing
the six coastal counties of South Mississippi and ready to
serve a wide range of needs for corporate prospects or site
consultants
alliance@mscoast.org
or (228) 865-5878
MS Coast Trade Council-providing one-stop access for
companies wishing to ship products to Cuba
trade@mscoast.org
or (228) 863-3807
MS Coast Tech Council-serving the growing technology
sector, especially in the areas of education, skilled labor,
capital and best practices
mctc@mscoast.org
or (228) 863-3807
MS Coast Foreign Trade Zone-providing information
about the Mississippi Coast FTZ, one of the nation's most
successful-over 5,000 acres of industrial park property with
sub-zones at several area companies and facilities, including
three international airports and two deepwater ports
ftz@mscoast.org
or (228) 863-3807
Harrison County also boasts an outstanding, easy to use online
database of available industrial and commercial buildings.
Check it out at www.mscoast.org
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