In the world of economic development there are some projects that emerge from the steady thrum of continuous improvement to become truly transformational moments for a company and a community.
Take Compass Datacenters’ early 2025 announcement that it would locate a mega-campus that will create thousands of jobs and represent a $10 billion investment in Lauderdale County. Or the $12.8 billion that Amazon Web Services, Liebherr, PCC Gulf Chem and Amplify Cell Technologies are collectively investing in the state, generating nearly 3,500 jobs.
Mississippi knows those moments. State leaders would like to see more of them.
Which is why Gov. Tate Reeves and the Mississippi Development Authority in February 2025 unveiled the “Let’s Break New Ground” campaign, created in partnership with Ridgeland-based The Ramey Agency.
“When it comes to economic development, Mississippi is breaking new ground for business and its people,” said Gov. Reeves. “This brand campaign highlights our state’s pioneering spirit, the strength of our partnerships and our willingness to think creatively to help businesses succeed.”
In short: With a commitment to explore new possibilities and embrace a fresh perspective to increase speed to market, Mississippi will find a way. That sort of outlook includes a streamlined process with less red tape and innovative incentives; collaboration with local leaders, utilities and educational institutions to reduce risk; and flexibility to tailor solutions that benefit both businesses and local communities.
“Mississippi has a proven track record of delivering results for businesses,” said MDA Executive Director Bill Cork. “The ‘Mississippi Momentum’ is strong, and we have no intention of slowing down any time soon.”
Two companies’ growth opportunities illustrate that momentum in action. First, as we reported in Site Selection magazine’s November 2024 issue, comes the story of Liebherr Group.
Liebherr Group, Tupelo, Lee County
When an international manufacturer aims to expand its logistics network throughout the Americas it’s no surprise the southeastern U.S. naturally emerges for top investment consideration. It’s a factor that has led Switzerland-based equipment manufacturer Liebherr to introduce its first U.S. logistics distribution center in Tupelo.
To date, the company’s European customers are covered by established distribution centers in Germany and the Netherlands. But these locations left something to be desired in serving markets abroad. So the Liebherr team undertook a strategic site search, leaving no stone unturned as they checked off a list of critical location needs. Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi rose as final contenders for the company but in the end, Mississippi took the $176 million project win.
“The Liebherr Group conducted a comprehensive analysis of material flows, including the access to transport companies, available infrastructure and population, and as a result the Memphis metropolitan area emerged as the ideal region,” says Liebherr Managing Director of Logistics Joerg Stroebele. “After further research, the city of Tupelo was identified as an ideal location.”
The city’s geographic position, robust industry ecosystem, workforce base and advanced logistics infrastructure, including proximity to highways and rail connections, were just the ingredients the team hoped to find. While site availability was a key factor in selecting the HIVE Business Park, its existing infrastructure for site connection and rapid preparation for construction work would allow Liebherr to begin building the new facility with ease.
“The continental warehouse in the USA is part of a future global warehouse network.”
— Joerg Stroebele, Liebherr Managing Director of Logistics, on the company’s $176 million new facility in Tupelo
After acquiring about 118 acres of the HIVE Business Park in July 2024, the company now looks to build long-term success in the region. With future growth in mind and a potential final investment of up to $238.4 million, additional acreage on hand affords space to expand operations at will.
“The continental warehouse in the USA is part of a future global warehouse network,” Stroebele continues. “This will enable the Liebherr Group to offer an improved service for our customers, including faster delivery times, improved reliability, optimized processes and high-quality services through automation with state-of-the-art technology.”
Liebherr’s over-1-million-sq.-ft. logistics center will handle warehousing, distribution, customs and exporting and services like pre-assembly, kitting and repackaging by 2026. Products housed at the distribution facility include earthmoving machinery, concrete technology, tower cranes and maritime cranes. Additional products may be introduced upon an increased final investment.
The Tupelo location expands the company’s portfolio in the U.S. beyond its existing 14 sales and service centers around the nation. The Liebherr Group encompasses more than 150 companies in more than 50 countries and currently employs more than 53,000 employees worldwide and over 1,600 in the U.S.
“We’re ready to roll up our sleeves and work alongside companies so they can go from investing money to making money in record time.”
— Bill Cork, Executive Director, Mississippi Development Authority, speaking in February 2025 about the state’s new “Let’s Break New Ground” campaign
Construction work will create 180 new direct jobs once complete, which could scale to a total of 342 jobs following a project investment boost. The Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) is incentivizing the project with its Mississippi Flexible Tax Incentive or MFLEX program. Lee County, the City of Tupelo and MDA are also supplying assistance for construction and equipment needs for the facility. In addition to MDA and others, Stroebele singled out the “very professional CDF team” at Community Development Foundation led by President and CEO David Rumbarger.
“Among many other criteria, incentives were only one factor,” says Stroebele. “The decision was primarily driven by a thorough cost-benefit analysis, the long-term development of our strategic plan for the entire region and the settlement of existing and future companies.”
“The city and county partnership to create and invest in the HIVE Business Park has paid off greatly,” said Tupelo Mayor Todd Jordan at last year’s announcement. “We are excited to see this area transform into a hub of innovation and opportunity.”
Avid Boats, Amory, Monroe County
For Avid Boats, an aluminum fishing boat maker launched in 2019 in Amory, Monroe County, just southeast of Tupelo, game changing and transformations are almost normal operating procedure.
Things started out fine with a $1.6 million investment and 75 jobs, supported by the MDA, the City of Amory and the Monroe County Chamber of Commerce. The company along with everyone else endured the impact of the pandemic immediately after the startup of operations. Then, in March 2023, it endured significant damage to its manufacturing facility from a catastrophic EF-3 tornado that left two dead and damaged some 1,500 homes and businesses in the area.
But the support from MDA and from programs like its MFLEX program was unwavering as Avid Boats President Phillip Faulkner made the decision to rebuild bigger than ever. “Despite the challenges we faced with the tornado, we are not just rebuilding; we are expanding,” Faulkner said when the rebuilding plans were announced in November 2023. “This expansion is a testament to our dedication to producing high-quality aluminum fishing boats and our belief in Mississippi’s economic future. “
The company in February 2025 celebrated the reopening of its facility at a site near Monroe County Airport where the company invested $8 million and today employs 100 with plans to add 50 more jobs at the 100,000-sq.-ft. facility (bigger than the original 85,000-sq.-ft. footprint).
As reported by the Monroe Journal, Faulkner in his remarks at the February dedication ceremony said Avid has become the nation’s sixth largest aluminum boat brand “and we’re just getting started.” And he spoke directly to his workforce: “Each and every one of you has played a unique role in the growth and development of this company,” he said. “Each one of you has played a big role in my life growing up and learning the things I’ve learned, and I’ve got a long way to go. I thought I knew it all when I started Avid Boats but I learned pretty quickly when I started my own company I didn’t know anything, and I’m still learning every day.”
Gov. Reeves was moved by the company’s and the region’s resurgence. “What this community and this company have chosen to do is after getting knocked down by a natural disaster, you got back up and you went to work helping yourselves and your neighbors and reinvesting in your community,” he said, according to the Monroe Journal. “Y’all inspire me and y’all make me proud to be a Mississippian.”
Sure, there is one kind of traditional groundbreaking that has been associated with over $33 billion of corporate investment in the state over the past five years. But when it comes to community bonds, mutual support and determination, Mississippians demonstrate levels of grit and resolve that go beyond branding and seem more like a way of life.
