In Pascagoula, the local economy depends to a large extent on how well Northrop Grumman's Ingalls Shipyard is doing, because it is the dominant economic force in the area.

Imation Corp. opened its 364,000- sq.- ft. (33,800- sq.- m.) distribution center in Southaven, Miss., on the Tennessee state line near Memphis, in August 2006. Imation is a leading producer of data storage products; it completed its acquisition of Memorex in May 2006. The DC, located in industrial developer IDI's Stateline Business Park, consolidates former Memorex distribution centers in Winchester, Va., Ontario, Calif., and Collierville, Tenn., as well as a former Imation center in Kansas City, Mo.

Scott's analysis shows that 13,000 of Pascagoula's 16,500 manufacturing jobs prior to Katrina were associated with the shipyard. The storm caused about $1 billion in damage to machinery and other assets. Employment at the facility is back to about 12,000, but lack of employee housing remains a problem. The good news for the Ingalls shipyard is a recent $2.5- billion contract from the Navy for two additional amphibious assault ships.
   Meanwhile, Chevron's storm- damaged refinery in Pascagoula "came back relatively quickly," says Scott. On November 13th, Chevron began the process of expanding the refinery by filing an environmental permit application with the state's Department of Environmental Quality for the construction of a gasoline production unit and other units that could boost gasoline production at the refinery by 15 percent, or 750,000 gallons per day. An upgrade to the facility's fluid catalytic cracking unit was nearing completion in November, which will boost gasoline production another 10 percent.

More Magnolia Manufacturing    • ACCO Brands, which makes Swingline staplers and other branded office products, announced a $55- million expansion of its operations in Booneville, in the northeast corner of the state. The 570,000- sq.- ft (53,000- sq.- m.) expansion involves former facilities of General Binding Corp., which merged with ACCO Brands in 2005. The project will create 300 new jobs.    • Construction got under way in May for a new dishwasher manufacturing plant for Viking Range Corp., in Greenwood. The $11- million expansion includes 80,000 square feet (7,400 sq. m.) of manufacturing space and 7,000 square feet (650 sq. m.) of office space. The new plant will add 200 jobs to Viking's Greenwood operations, where it already employs 1,000.    • Also in Greenwood, Raybestos Products Co., which makes friction materials products for brakes, purchased a 27- acre (11- hectare) site with a 206,000- sq.- ft. (19,000- sq.- m.) building formerly owned by Irving Automotive. The project, which will create about 200 jobs, will consolidate operations at plants in Crawfordsville, Ind., and Sterling Heights, Mich.