The Whirlpool Corp., in its biannual Manufacturing States Comparatives Report, names Mississippi as having the best environment for business among 23 appliance-manufacturing states.

Mississippi was also ranked fourth in the nation in new jobs created per 1 million population during 1995-97.

The state leads the nation in production of upholstered furniture, with 54,000 pieces produced daily.

Another pro-business statistic is that Mississippi's labor costs in food and related products were the lowest in the country in 1997.

International business is booming in Mississippi. A total of 63 parent companies from 16 countries operate 98 affiliates in the state. The United Kingdom alone has 20 affiliated manufacturing sites.

A total of 67 Fortune 500 companies have manufacturing operations at 183 Mississippi locations, representing a one-year net gain of 13. Of the 82 counties in Mississippi, 61 contain at least one Fortune 500 company facility.

Jumping through hoops
Efforts by state and local officials to jump through hoops and offer incentives to attract industries are key to Mississippi's success.

A celebrated example is Wellman Inc., a world leader in the manufacturing of PET resins and polyester fiber for the plastic and textile industries. Wellman located its state-of-the-art manufacturing operation in Hancock County because of incentives.

"Everyone involved with Wellman's project knows that the incentive package that Mississippi offered was a key part of our decision to locate our new PET plant here," says Pete Woody, Wellman project director. "In fact, Wellman would clearly not have come to Mississippi without it."

State and county investment in infrastructure improvements to the site helped secure the deal.

The state provided about $35 million in infrastructure improvements to facilitate the Wellman expansion.

Hancock County also contributed $5 million to the project.

Welcoming GM
Going the extra mile has paid off elsewhere in Mississippi, where Rankin County is welcoming a $25 million investment from General Motors.

The automaker is opening a 352,000 square foot parts distribution center on 33 acres in Brandon next spring. The project is the result of an entrance road and rail spur being built to the site at the Rankin County-owned Metropolitan Industrial Park. To attract GM, officials also cleaned the site of all oil-based sludge.

"Landing GM means the facility projects the image that the Metropolitan Industrial Park is 'world class,'" says Tom Troxler, executive director of Rankin First Economic Development Authority.

Dollar General invests $40 million
In addition to GM, Dollar General decided to build a distribution center in Mississippi in the Delta town of Indianola. The company was attracted to the region because of incentives offered as a result of a six-county area being designated an empowerment zone.

Dollar General's $40 million project, which opened in May, received a $900,000 grant as a result of locating in the Mid-Delta Empowerment Zone.

Dollar officals also cited its location, business climate, government assistance, labor pool, and proximity to the states served by the center.

Border war
Activity continues on the Mississippi-Tennessee border.

Asics Tiger Corp., the U.S. subsidiary of Asics Corp. Japan, held its grand opening in August for its national distribution center in DeSoto County. The athletic shoe and apparel manufacturer's new center, eight miles south of its present site in Memphis, is yet another example of how companies are lured to Mississippi because of incentives.

The biggest reason for companies to "cross over the border" is that taxes on warehouse inventories are often lower or non-existent in Mississippi.

Billion dollar bombshell
One of the biggest announcements to come to Mississippi in recent months is the $1 billion plant being built by Minnesota-based Alliant Techsystems. The company plans to open the new facility in the Tri-State Commerce Park in northern Tishomingo County. The park is a former NASA site.

Alliant will lease 200,000 square feet at the park and manufacture composite structures such as launch vehicle booster nose cones and interstage, center body and other large composite fabrications to be used by the Boeing Company at its new Decatur, Ala., plant.

Distribution advantages
A marketing alliance among three major North American railroads announced in April will add a new dimension to Mississippi's appeal to companies considering the state for warehousing and distribution.

The alliance, between Canadian National, Illinois Central and Kansas City Southern Railway will link key North American markets with new rail freight services. The effort will offer shippers new rail routes for their products and the ability to tap into key north-south continental freight markets at competitive rates.

Under the agreement, Jackson will become a main interchange for the rail carriers. By extending the reach of Mississippi's warehousing and distribution segments into the emerging markets of Mexico and South America -- at competitive rates -- the alliance carries tremendous potential for warehousing and distribution.