LINK CEO blasts state, MDA

Golden Triangle Development LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins updated Starkville-area business owners on the state of economic development in the region, and he didn’t mince words. Higgins led the Nov. 15 conversation by telling attendees that Mississippi was not a leading destination for businesses it has been billed to be due to mismanagement from the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA). "We've been told for at least the last four years that Mississippi is winning, right?" Higgins said. "We're not winning … on a national level." The last four years have hit the Golden Triangle especially hard, he said, while pointing to a 40 percent drop in the average amount of capital investment and jobs since 2015. The downward trend has removed the Golden Triangle from development consultant's radars, he claimed. He also expects Gov.-elect Tate Reeves to appoint a new head of the MDA after being sworn in to his office in January. "First of all, shoot me in the head if we don't," Higgins said. (Source: Starkville Daily News 11/16/19) https://www.starkvilledailynews.com/link-provides-economic-development-update-results-of-workforce-survey/article_f844f032-087e-11ea-9eeb-3b4a6aab79d7.html