By By Steve Swogetinsky/The Meridian Star
April 22, 2001
For Wade Jones, listening to people and their ideas has been high on the agenda for the past couple of months.
As the new president of the East Mississippi Business Development Corp., Jones is putting together plans that will guide economic development efforts.
First on the list, he said, is to answer to two central questions:
What makes us unique?"
Entrepreneurship certainly ranks high on that list, Jones said.
A united front is needed for the community to move forward, and that's the tricky part, Jones said. Entrepreneurs are usually strong individuals with their own ideas on what should be done, and how things should be done.
A personal training program titled: "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons In Personal Change;" is the tool Jones plans to use in developing the EMBDC staff, board and volunteers.
Jones said he was working on private funding to bring a seminar on the "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" to Meridian. He added that the EMBDC sent six people to Birmingham last week to take the course, and all were pleased with the results.
Recruitment of new industries and finding ways to help existing plants grow and stay in Meridian make up one part of the EMBDC mission. Community development and chamber of commerce functions are parts of the organization's other responsibilities.
Jones said the current task is to:
1) Identify EMBDC's constituents;
2) Get them involved;
3) Put the right people in the right place; and,
4) Decide where the organization goes from here.
Steve Swogetinsky is regional editor of The Meridian Star. Call him at 693-1551, ext. 3217, or e-mail him at sswogetinsky@themeridianstar.com.