Congrats Graduates!

The 2012/2013 Class of Leadership Greater Jackson graduated May 16 at the Old Capitol Inn in Downtown Jackson. Congrats to the graduates!

MAY 2013 UPDATE

Vision 2022 is a bold multi-year plan designed to transform the Greater Jackson Region into a destination community that attracts businesses, families, young professionals and tourists for its quality of place and economic opportunity.  The plan is comprised of 10 initiatives.  The following is a report highlighting recent key developments related to Vision 2022.

LAKE DEVELOPMENT

• All of the major players are still in agreement with proceeding on the One Lake plan.
• Enabling legislation needed to authorize proceeding with certain aspects of the plan was passed by the legislature and signed by Governor Bryant on March 25, 2013.
• Studies are continuing to show that the project will provide flood protection and not harm the environment.
• A public hearing meeting will be held in July to allow supporters and opponents to submit concerns to the Corps of Engineers.

REGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE

• Investigating the possibility of developing a statewide coalition to advocate for greater construction and maintenance funding at all levels of government.
• Developing a list of business representatives, mayors, supervisors and others from the metro area to include in discussions on the feasibility of a regional approach to solving the area’s growing waste water treatment needs.
• Numerous light rail/transit possibilities were explored at the first meeting of the Light Rail Subcommittee.
• The Broadband Subcommittee will meet for the first time on Wed, May 22 at 1:15 PM.

AEROSPACE

• Developing a completely integrated aviation workforce training program that involves both technical schools and higher education institutions from throughout the state.
• Identifying new revenue sources for infrastructure development at the airport.
• Developed 3D rendering to use in the marketing efforts of the new airport’s new aviation industrial site.

CORE CITY

• Work on a master web-based project management system continues.
• Whole CORE committee met and received an excellent and detailed presentation from Dallas Quinn on One Lake initiative.
• All committees continue to meet and participation from citizenry is increasing.

HEALTHCARE

• First Habitat house built in conjunction with partnerships from all four major healthcare institutions (UMMC, St. Dominic Health Services, Baptist Health Systems, and Health Management Associates).
• Marketing and funding for the MS Healthcare Corridor project is still continuing.

REGIONAL MARKETING

• Completed the targeted industry workforce assessments for Advanced Manufacturing, Logistics, Health Care, Aerospace, IT/High Tech, and Automotive
• Updated demographic and labor market reports on the Greater Jackson Alliance Website
• Launched the interactive industrial park website

TALENT ATTRACTION

• The Talent Attraction Committee formed three task force committees to focus on three key components:  1) address retaining talent;  2) attract regional talent; 3) host event or reception for newcomers.
• Want to create a central website for students soon to be entering the job market that will provide a venue for businesses to promote their job and internship opportunities.
• Create a centralized events calendar on the proposed central website to be used by businesses in their efforts to recruit talent from outside the area.
• In addition to planning recurring events, the team will be providing support for the Livable Communities Summit at the Jackson Convention Complex on October 1-2, 2013.

REGIONAL TRAILS

• The Jackson City Council has approved a contract that hires local firm Neel-Schaffer to develop the Museum to Market trail.  MDOT has also approved the proposal.  It is expected the city will sign the contract and give the notice to proceed sometime in May.

PUBLIC EDUCATION

• Continuing to identify potential strategies and options for consideration

ARTS & CULTURE

• Arts and Culture’s had a hugely successful initial meeting (40+ attendees).
• Decided to set up a website to help the region better promote all the activities by providing them with a central place for these efforts. 
• Date for next committee meeting to be set soon.

If you would like to serve on a Vision 2022 committee please contact Jenny Woodruff, Director of Public Relations, at (601) 948-7575, ext. 231 or jwoodruff@greaterjacksonpartnership.com.  If you would like details on how you can support the Vision 2022 funding campaign, please contact Clint Nessmith, Campaign Manager, at (601)948-7575 or clint@greaterjacksonpartnership.com.

Clark speaks to GJCP Members

Charlene Clark (left), Benefits Advisor for the U.S. Department of Labor, recently spoke to GJCP members regarding updates with ARISA and Employee Benefits. She is pictured with Lindsay Buford, Vice President of the GJCP Healthcare Initiatives.

Habitat for Humanity

The Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership congratulates new Habitat for Humanity Homeowner Michelle Owens!

All four major health care institutions in the metro Jackson area joined together to build the home for the Owens family.

This is the first time health care institutions in the area have collaborated to build a Habitat for Humanity/Metro Jackson home. The partnering institutions were Baptist Health Systems, St. Dominic Health Services, Inc., the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) and Health Management Associates (River Oaks Hospital, Madison River Oaks, Crossgates River Oaks, CMMC and Woman’s Hospital).

Employees from the four health care institutions plus students from UMMC worked together throughout an eight-day building process during March and April.

Duane O’Neill, President and CEO of the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership, said the collaboration showed commitment of area health care leaders to working together to make Jackson a major health care destination.

MCEDA, Entergy unveils Panther Creek Commerce Center

The Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership and the Greater Jackson Alliance congratulate Entergy and Madison County Economic Development Authority for the unveiling of the Entergy Qualified Mega Site Panther Creek Commerce Center which includes 2,000 acres for economic development.
 
“The designation of one of our metro sites as a qualified mega site will put us in a much better competitive position for new economic development projects,” said Duane O’Neill, President & CEO of the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership.
 
“This is a game changer for not only Madison County, but for the entire Greater Jackson region. The types of sites that these mega sites attract are usually followed by a large investment and job creation.”
  
The Panther Creek mega site is located on Highway 22 near Nissan Parkway in Madison County. The site is one-and-a-half miles from Interstate 55 via the Nissan Parkway and is in close proximity to the Canton Industrial Park and Nissan. Developable tracts are available for purchase with up to 600 contiguous acres.
 
“Economic development is very competitive, and the key to competing for projects is for a community to have marketable assets, including work force, quality of life and education,” said Tim Coursey, MCEDA executive director. “Madison County has these assets, and now, thanks to a partnership with the Walker family, we can offer nearly 2,000 acres for development which will put us on the map for competing for large economic development projects that provide high-paying jobs.”
 
MCEDA addressed key site selection criteria, such as control of land, environmental and geotechnical assessments, transportation infrastructure, zoning and annexation, and development costs. Entergy reviewed the documentation and has qualified a large portion of the site, providing a comprehensive assessment for large industrial prospects.
 
“Through this process we’re able to provide details outlining current conditions of the site and any actions, including cost estimates and schedules, to begin project development,” said John Turner, Entergy Mississippi director of economic development. “These actions improve the competitive position of Madison County for economic development projects.”
 
CBRE Memphis, LLC, an affiliate of CBRE Group, Inc., the world’s largest real estate services firm, will partner with Entergy Mississippi and MCEDA in marketing this site by offering exclusive real estate brokerage service for the Panther Creek Commerce Center.
 
“We are truly blessed to have incredibly talented local economic developers across the greater Jackson region, and especially applaud the MCEDA/Entergy effort on this outstanding offering,” O’Neill added.

E-Waste Day

The Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership hosted the metro area’s eighth E-Waste Day on April 26. The Chamber along with MS Department of Environmental Quality, Keep Mississippi Beautiful, Keep Jackson Beautiful, MS Department of Transportation, the City of Jackson, Waste Management, the Ms Farmer’s Market and Magnolia Data Solutions partnered together to make the event possible.

Magnolia Data Solutions, that collected all the items disposed of that day, reported that collections from the event totaled more than 30,000 pounds of e-waste! More than 100 people participated in the event and community was excited and relieved to get those items out of their houses and businesses!

Thanks to crews from MDEQ and Magnolia Data Solutions for all the heavy lifting they did!!

If you missed E-Waste Day and are interested in participating in another, send your contact information to Jenny Woodruff at jwoodruff@greaterjacksonpartnership.com.

Medical Community News

"The first lung transplant, the first heart transplant and now the first time a baby has been cured of an H.I.V. infection - this news from the University of Mississippi Medical Center is proof that the Mississippi medical community continues to lead the nation in innovative research and surgery! Congratulations to UMMC and the Blair E. Batson Hospital for this amazing news. This puts our state on the map for leading health care initiatives throughout the country." - Duane O'Neill, President & CEO of the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership

Click here for the article!

Fast Start to Vision 2022 Campaign!

The Greater Jackson business community has committed $1.5 million of a $7 million goal in just three short weeks since the Vision 2022 Capital Campaign officially kicked off.
 
“We are very excited about the fast start to the Vision 2022 campaign,” said Bill Lampton, Chair of the Vision 2022 Capital Campaign. “The community recognizes the potential impact of this plan on Greater Jackson’s future prosperity. They are definitely supporting this vitally important effort.”
 
Since the campaign began, the GJCP has held five executive briefings and four more are scheduled between now and the end of March. These briefings are hosted by members of the campaign cabinet. The purpose of the briefings is to explain the 10 point plan and inform attendees on how they can support the initiative and become involved.
 
Vision 2022/One Voice is the bold, multi-year plan to transform the Greater Jackson Region into a destination community attracting businesses, families, and tourists for its quality of life “place” and economic opportunity.
 
If you are interested in attending a Vision 2022 briefing, please contact Debi Green at 601-948-7575 or email dgreen@greaterjacksonpartnership.com.

Save the Date for Red, White & Jackson June 27

2013 Calendar

Click here to view your 2013 Non Profit Calendar. We will update this throughout the year as needed! If you would like to add an event, please email jwoodruff@greaterjacksonpartnership.com!

Vision 2022

Click here for the Vision 2022 Plan!