Thursday, January 9, 2020

LINK CEO: High hopes for region

LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins told Columbus, Miss., Rotarians in a speech Jan. 7 that he had high hopes for the future of economic development, prospective projects and a change at the head of the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA). Specifically, he said he would open a bottle of Scotch in celebration of MDA Director Glenn McCullough's retirement at the end of January. Higgins has long been a critic of the director. "Glenn McCullough has been an unadulterated train wreck at MDA," Higgins told Rotarians. From LINK's history from 2003 through 2014, Higgins said, the area saw an average of $445M in investments and 479 jobs annually. In four years under McCullough those numbers dropped to $229M and 303 jobs, and that was after LINK expanded services to include Oktibbeha, Clay and Lowndes counties. That’s a 40 percent reduction in announced projects and investments, and a 40 percent reduction in announced jobs, he claimed. But the LINK CEO has faith in newly-elected Gov. Tate Reeves to get MDA back on track. (Source: Columbus Dispatch 01/08/20) https://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=78450

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