MS's 2019 top econ developments

As Father Time watches 2019 come to a close, a look back at Mississippi’s top economic development projects, listed by the Mississippi Development Authority, have created 2,205 jobs through $469.5M in investments within the counties of DeSoto, Lee, Hancock, George, Jackson, and Newton. The industry sectors include shipbuilding, aerospace, healthcare, timber and technology. Among the top eight projects of 2019 were General Atomics of Tupelo ($50M/75 jobs), VT Halter Marine of Pascagoula ($37.5M/900 jobs), and Relativity Space of Stennis ($59M/190 jobs). GA’s Electromagnetic Systems (EMS) Division production and test facility in Tupelo supports production of the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) programs for the next‐generation Gerald R. Ford class aircraft carriers. VTHM was awarded a $745M contract with the Coast Guard for the design and construction of a Polar Security Cutter. The plan is to deliver the icebreaker in 2024. Relativity is expanding its rocket component production and rocket engine testing operations at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. Jobs created by this project will increase Relativity’s employment to 200. Relativity is the first and only company to integrate metal 3D printing, robotics and software to build and launch rockets in days instead of years. The company develops its own launchers and rocket engines for commercial orbital launch services. Among the others are: Amazon, $100M/500 jobs; Fresenius (Spectra Labs), $88M/300 jobs; Enviva, $85M/90 jobs; and ESCO, $50M/150 jobs. (Source: Mississippi Business Journal 12/18/19) https://msbusiness.com/2019/12/states-2019-top-economic-projects-bring-jobs-investments/