Mississippi Development Authority Rolls Out PriorityOne Business Retention and Expansion Program at Events in Nine Cities around the State
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tammy Craft, Public Relations 601.359.3449
tcraft@mississippi.org
Jackson, Miss. (October 14, 2009) – On Wednesday, October 14, the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) held events around the state for local economic developers during a nine-city rollout of the new PriorityOne program. An effort of MDA’s Existing Industry and Business (EIB) Division, PriorityOne is a key component of the agency’s business retention and expansion program.
Goals of PriorityOne include assisting businesses in solving immediate and long-term problems, promoting economic development and job creation and strengthening and diversifying the local economy.
To achieve these goals, MDA staff and local economic developers interview businesses throughout the state to assess their particular needs and concerns, using the PriorityOne survey questions as a guide. All survey results are entered into a Web-based database. MDA analyzes this data and reports the survey results, in the aggregate, to each local community. With this information, local developers and state officials can provide relevant assistance to businesses in each community.
PriorityOne will provide local officials with important information about their communities' business climates, which will assist them as they define their communities' priorities and determine how best to allocate their resources. At the state level, this program will enable MDA to develop policy and implement programs that will be most effective in assisting the state’s existing businesses.
"The PriorityOne program is a key strategy in the state's business retention and expansion efforts, and it will be beneficial for businesses around the state, particularly during a time when economic development efforts and job creation are critical to maintaining a healthy economy," said Chandler Russ, EIB Division director. "The program will provide MDA staff and local developers a deeper understanding of the issues and concerns of businesses located in Mississippi, in turn helping us provide them with timely and relevant assistance so they can continue to thrive in their communities."
The PriorityOne rollout appreciation events were held in Brookhaven, Columbus, Greenwood, Gulfport, Hattiesburg, Jackson, Meridian, Oxford and Tupelo.
To learn more about the PriorityOne program, please contact MDA’s EIB Division at 601.359.3593, or e-mail eibus@mississippi.org.
###
About Mississippi Development Authority
Mississippi Development Authority is the State of Mississippi's lead economic and community development agency. Nearly 300 employees are engaged in providing services to businesses, communities and workers in the state. While the agency is best known for its efforts to recruit new businesses to Mississippi, the Authority provides services to promote tourism, help communities improve their quality of place, help existing employers identify and meet opportunities and challenges and help workers improve their skills – all with the goal of improving the quality of life and economic well-being of Mississippians. For more information, visit MDA's website at www.mississippi.org.
MDA Team
Get to know the staff and departments who are working hard to make the state of Mississippi a better place for you and your business.
Doing Business with MDA
Do you want to know how to apply to become a vendor for the state? Minority certification? We have the answers to those questions and much more.
MDA Library & Resources
Almost everything you need to know about living and working in Mississippi, all in one place. Find key facts, statistics, articles, maps, forms, data banks, and plenty of important links all at your fingertips.
