Yeah I think you're right. Maybe it was the real estate division I'm thinking about because it says now that its Gulfport.
Joe Max gone….
- Thread starter OG Goat Holder
- Start date
Not sure it's the same scale, but I think Parkway properties (or Park place?) in Jackson bailed a Florida REITT company out of financial trouble by purchasing them and then still ended up with their executive team and headquarters?
I think a headquarters might be hard for us to win, but a lot of companies essentially have second headquarters where they build out a lot of their administrative functions because their main headquarters are located in places, largely california, that are too expensive to hire employees. Your Houston/Dallas/Atlanta/Charlotte/Tampa are typically the type of places seen as cheap enough while also providing access to good talent. I think we're largely seen as too hard to recruit talent too, but maybe the coast is an option (Hancock Whitney and Mississippi Power and Engels all have significant corporate presences there, so maybe they are reaching a center of gravity). South Memphis and Madison/Ridgeland would be next, but I just don't know how being in a suburb outside of a relatively ****** city would fly. Probably be more attractive to be an hour outside of Dallas or Houston or Atlanta than 30 minutes outside of Memphis or Jackson. For any of those places, it'd probably have to start with an existing corporate office of Mississippi company that is bought out.
Companies move / relocate all the time, even move from thriving and profitable areas for one reason or another on many occasions.
The bigger problem is when trying coming up with a list of 5 of the most successful corporations that were started in Mississippi, 2 of them were mother17ing Steinmart and Backyard Burger, another one was McRae’s / Belk (brick and mortar mid-level department store clothing…..nearly a dead industry), another one was a niche / high end appliance company that had very minimal market share and jobs to offer in the first place.
It’s like saying MSU football sucks historically because even their good QB’s choke in big games…..and then citing Dak against Bama in 2014, Tyler Russell against Bama / LSU in 2012, Relf against Auburn in 2010, etc. Totally ignores the elephant in the room that we haven’t had hardly any good QB’s in the first place.
You said they "almost" got projects but after he started they "got" the projects. That sounds like a ringing endorsement for him.
This is not good news.
GTR LINK announces exit of CEO Joe Max Higgins Jr.
The Golden Triangle Development LINK announced the departure of longtime CEO Joe Max Higgins Jr. on Sunday afternoon.www.wtva.com
I hope he just hangs em up and doesn’t go to a surrounding State in same capacity
Fact check: mostly TRUE, although certainly overstated.
From Wikipedia...Phyllis was among the top 100 names for American girls by 1915 and peaked in popularity in 1929 as the 24th most popular name for American girls. It remained among the top 1,000 names for American girls until 1950 and then declined in use.[2]
Yeah, the problem is you're looking at a list of companies Goat pulled out of his anus, and that place is filled with huge quantities of BS.
Mississippi's got lots of problems, but acting like Steinmart and BYB (which started in Cleveland, but was a Memphis HQ mostly) are examples of the best homegrown Mississippi companies is also a problem.
Ergon was founded in Mississippi 70+ years ago, is still HQ'd in Flowood on Lakeland Drive, has over 4,000 employees worldwide and something like $3 billion in annual revenue (privately held, so this is a guess)
That's a good place to start, but they don't sell burgers or blenders so most Mississippians don't know they exist.
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I imagine the truth as usual lies somewhere in the middle.
He did a really good job but he was also in a really good spot. Other people might not have done as well but still good. Some MAY have done more.
If he didn’t get here until 2003 how would his efforts before have any bearing on whether they came or not. He wasn’t here “before”.
Those companies you named were bought weren’t they?
you could have all the brain power you wanted in Mississippi. You could have what you think your brain is times 100 times 1 million people and those companies are likely still sold. Bigger companies buy smaller ones. Happens all the time all over the world.
Really good spot? Tell me exactly what is GTR's advantage that makes it a "good spot". It's a good spot now that Joe Max has been here for a while and landed some wins that compounded on each other.
All that said, I'm not arguing for or against the guy. Everyone has a shelf life.
to start
-research and regional university
-community college right next door
-rail access
-waterway connection
-cheap electricity from TVA
-and most importantly, local governments who put their money into creating mega sites (utilities, transportation infrastructure, etc).
“can’t make chicken salad out of chicken ****”
Exactly.
I was living in the area and talked to Joe many times around the time he got to Columbus. He started at CLEDA (Columbus Lowndes Economic Development Association) if I remember correctly. I think his success and clear abilities were the impetus to create the Link so he could work for the whole Triangle since the communities are integral to each other in big econ dev efforts.
He said he took the job because the area had huge economic development advantages already in place that just weren't being properly marketed. He did that.
He's wicked smart and very organized, but I always thought his ego and mouth would get him eventually. Fortunately for the area, he lasted a long time.
Anybody who thinks most of these things would have happened without him, in the words of Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville, "Don't Know Much"
I heard he was in charge of the Cracker Barrell logo and rebranding change.
Most of that began really being marketed once JM got there. And we're talking about competing against other areas. You also missed one of the bigger advantages.....GTR.
Still has no interstate access. And the Tenn-Tom is rarely used.
The point here is that the area is average...and made to look better by JM's efforts.
GTR LINK announces reasoning behind exit of longtime CEO Joe Max Higgins Jr.
The Golden Triangle Development LINK provided a reason behind the sudden departure of longtime CEO Joe Max Higgins Jr.
GTR is a plus? It's a horrible airport, but maybe good for Industrial Transportation.
Oof, must not have been happy about the Kelce/Swift announcement.GTR LINK announces reasoning behind exit of longtime CEO Joe Max Higgins Jr.
The Golden Triangle Development LINK provided a reason behind the sudden departure of longtime CEO Joe Max Higgins Jr.
Define a good airport. For the size area it services, it’s incredible. If you’re expecting ATL service, that’s impossible.
Connection to ATL and now DFW are all that can realistically happen. Best case is a connection to IAH and the. One of the DC airports.
oof but speech and behavior over an extended amount of time and they're just now hearing about it? No way am I defending dude but this is weird.GTR LINK announces reasoning behind exit of longtime CEO Joe Max Higgins Jr.
The Golden Triangle Development LINK provided a reason behind the sudden departure of longtime CEO Joe Max Higgins Jr.
The Tenn Tom is rarely used? You know how much steel SDI sends up and down the Tenn-Tom every week. That’s just one industry. You don’t have a clue what you are 17ing talking about.
That's not GTR's fault, that's a lack of Uber drivers and planning on your part. There's a free shuttle after each incoming flight that goes back to Starkville Marriott Courtyard where you can catch an Uber much easier
The problem I had was my flight was severely delayed. They had closed the airport and I was sitting out front. Luckily it was a game weekend and I called someone to come get me.
So you are taking one instance where circumstances were out of the norm and you were still able to get a ride to say GTR airport isn't good?
What I was thinking reading the statement, strange for sure. Equally strange is what they hung on the end. As a member of the community, I'm trying to think what JMH could do (or suddenly knew) that would harm me.
after learning of workplace behavior and speech espoused by Mr. Higgins over an extended period .... “Mr. Higgins’ conduct goes well beyond profanity, and, if known, would harm every member of this community.”
Hopefully, a poor choice of phrasing. I can't figure out how any thing he said would harm me. And then on top of that, harm me only if I knew he said it. Hurt my feelings? Doubtful. Offend me, maybe. But harm me?