Business Facilities - December 2008 - (Page 40)

From metropolitan hubs to pastoral landscapes, Mississippi offers a broad range of business locations without losing its charming Southern spirit. By Rae Kutz T ucked down in the Southern swatch of the United States, Mississippi is a sprawling stretch of lowlands and coastal plains, speckled with lakes and zigzagged by a network of rivers, including its powerful, serpentine namesake. Its southern border lies on the Gulf of Mexico, allowing indispensable port access, and its state boundaries rest alongside Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee. The Magnolia State offers some of the lowest living costs in the United States. In 2006, its total state product was $84 billion and, while its per capita personal income was only $26,908, Mississippi’s residents rank near the top of the nation’s most charitable. This giving spirit helps ensure businesses feel welcome as soon as they choose to locate in Mississippi. Here are two communities—one rather rural, one more urban—that highlight the diversity of this Southern business solution. DECEMBER 2008 RANKIN’S ECONOMIC ACTION IN JACKSON A thriving location at the center of “the crossroads of the South” and a part of metropolitan Jackson, MS, Rankin County enjoys all the benefits of living in a metropolitan area without the headache that comes with big city life. Being one of the fastest growing counties in Mississippi, Rankin offers all of the best in community life, education, employment, housing, and outstanding quality of living. Rankin County is a choice location for the automotive industry and is within 30 minutes of the newly constructed, $1-billion Nissan manufacturing plant in Canton, MS, and seven tier-one Nissan suppliers. Background photo: The public library of Jefferson Davis County with a magnolia in the foreground. 40 A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION OF BUSINESS FACILITIES PHOTO CREDIT: JEFFERSON DAVIS COUNTY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION Numerous auxiliary suppliers also have located or are locating in the Jackson metro area. The Mississippi Nissan plant, which is located on a 1,445-acre site, encompasses 2 million square feet and has the capacity to produce 250,000 vehicles per year, including a full-size pickup truck, a full-size sports utility vehicle, and the next generation Nissan minivan. Rankin County is ideally suited to be the home for tier-one suppliers due to its availability of industrial parks and industrial property with existing infrastructure. Additionally, a large skilled labor pool that does not compete for labor with the Nissan plant or its nearby suppliers, an indefatigable work ethic, and a probusiness attitude combine to make Rankin a top automotive destination. Not only does it offer the prox-

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Business Facilities - December 2008

Business Facilities - December 2008 Contents First Word Snapshots Corporate Moves: North Carolina Gold Award: New Engine for Growth in Virginia Silver Award: Tennessee Gets the Big Prize Bronze Award: Enrichment in Idaho Falls Honorable Mentions International Reach From America's Heartland Supply Chain Priorities Metro Spotlight: Greenville/ Spartanburg, SC The Magnolia State Has It All A Real Estate Mega-Merger State of the Year Ask the Expert Advertiser Index

Business Facilities - December 2008

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