With a history that tells tales of antebellum memoirs, Civil War upheaval and Delta-born blues, it may seem like Mississippi is a state grounded in yesteryear. But while it does indeed have a foundation rich in important history, colorful culture and generations of traditions, Mississippi's tomorrow is taking shape on a new foundation of technology and innovation.

Boeing ignites new operations at Stennis

Thanks to the John C. Stennis Space Center, located on Mississippi's Gulf Coast in Hancock County, the state

already has a reputation - literally - of reaching for the stars. For nearly 25 years now, the site has been NASA's lead center for rocket propulsion testing and Earth science applications - in other words, the nation's largest rocket test complex.

One of the most recent developments at Stennis was the opening of a new Boeing engine assembly facility. At least 40 RS-68 engines will be assembled per year in the 100,000 square foot facility, which was formerly a U.S. Army ammunition plant.

Nearly 300 Boeing employees with expertise in propulsion testing will be employed at the site. Once production is underway, the RS-68 engines will travel a short distance from the facility to the test stand for acceptance testing. Subsequently, the engines go on to the Delta IV factory in Decatur, Ala.

Geomatics could offer blueprint of Mississippi's future

The remote-sensing industry might not be too well known to many at the moment, but give it time. There's a good possibility the world will be hearing more about this high-tech industry, which combines surveying, mapping, space-age imagery and computer science to create multi-layer maps that allow users to see virtually anything.

The Stennis Space Center is a major catalyst behind much of the remote sensing activity that's taking place in Mississippi, but the industry is strengthening throughout the state. While the government has primarily been the driving force behind the development of geomatics, many would like to see the work transferred to the private sector, where university research and entrepreneurs could feed the fire.

In mid-February, the "Geomatics 2002: Building for Mississippi's Future" conference brought together more than 150 academic, business and government leaders from across the state to discuss the opportunities that geomatics holds for Mississippi.

"We at Digital Globe recognize that Mississippi is an international leader in the remote sensing and geomatics industry, and that is why we have a strong presence in Mississippi," said Herbert Satterlee, president and CEO of Digital Globe, who gave the keynote address at the conference. "The advances in application and product development inside the state are at the forefront of the spatial industry."

Geomatics involves remote sensing - which is the gathering of information by devices not in direct physical contact with the area being studied. Ultimately, the final product - specialized maps - would allow a view of practically anything, ranging from heat being emitted from a cook stove deep in an Afghanistan cave, to weeds infesting a cotton field in southern Mississippi.

To help spur the remote-sensing industry on to success, the Mississippi Space Commerce Initiative (MSCI) has been created. The initiative represents a partnership between the State of Mississippi, the University of Mississippi, NASA and private industry.

The program currently has 34 member companies with offices in Hattiesburg, Picayune, Stennis Space Center, Jackson, Ridgeland, Lambert, Greenwood, Inverness, Sumner, Starkville, Iuka, Oxford and Tupelo.

Polymer progress is ongoing

One of the Magnolia State's best selling points is its Mississippi Polymer Institute, located at the University of Southern Mississippi. U.S. News & World Report ranked the center third in the nation and MPI continues to assist companies with on-site technical training, new product development and rapid prototyping capabilities.

Cox MHP, a custom machine and tool builder, provides just one example of how MPI can be of benefit to manufacturing companies. The Flowood, Miss.,-based company manufactures items such as automatic assembly equipment, brazing and soldering equipment, testing equipment, and automotive equipment - to name just a few - for the automotive, marine, aerospace and medical industries, among others.

To respond to a customer's request for a solution to a plastic assembly failure, Cox needed to test the proposed product it had come up with. The company turned to the MPI for help, and in less than a week, MPI turned Cox's design into a physical prototype.

"MPI's rapid prototyping will allow us to test-run a project before 85 percent of the total product budget is spent," said Anthony Bailey of Cox MHP. "If we find that a project will not work, or has to be changed, we will have done so without wasting considerable time and money."

Growing plastics-related firms also can draw on home-grown talent from plenty of other local resources, such as the Polymer Technology program at Petal High School, a two-year Plastics Processing Associate Degree program at Jones Junior College, and the Pearl River Junior College Mold Making program.

Over the past five years, employment in Mississippi's plastic industry grew 24 percent.

DEMOGRAPHY AND ECONOMY

Population: 2.8 million

Capital: Jackson

Three Largest Metropolitan Areas: Jackson, 180,664; Gulfport, 64,679; Hattiesburg, 49,233

GSP: $62 billion

Per Capita Income: $20,688

Percentage of Private Manufacturing Labor Force Organized: 9.2%

Right to Work State: yes

Unemployment Rate: 6.3% (February 2002)

Average Hourly Manufacturing Wage: $11.94

Population Age 25 and Over With Bachelor's Degree or More: Jackson, 26.9%; Gulfport, 18.3%; Hattiesburg, 27.0%

Corporate Income Tax Rate: 3.0-5.0%

Percentage Employment by Sector: construction, 4.6%; manufacturing, 19.5%; service industries, 23.8%; transportation/utilities, 5.0%; wholesale/retail, 22.5%

Primary Industries: telecommunications, automotive parts manufacturing and distribution, chemicals and plastics

Targeted Industries: automotive parts manufacturing and distribution, chemicals and plastics, electronics, furniture, forestry and wood products, metal fabrication, telecommunications, warehousing and distribution

BUSINESS ASSISTANCE

Major Financial Incentives: Mississippi Loan Guaranty Program; Minority Business Enterprise Loan; Industrial Development Revenue Bond Program; Energy Investment Program; Community Block Grant Economic Development Loan; Capital Improvements Revolving Loan Program; Rural Economic Development Program

Worker Training Programs: Customized training; workforce development centers

Technology Transfer Programs: Mississippi Enterprise for Technology at Stennis Space Center; Mississippi Technolocy Inc.

Enterprise Zones: one rural empowerment zone; one urban enterprise community; one rural enterprise community

Foreign Trade Zones: 3; Vicksburg, Biloxi, Gulfport

International Trade Offices and Locations: Singapore; London, England; Santiago, Chile; Yokohama, Japan

Environmental Permit Assistance: One Stop Environmental Permitting, Dept. of Environmental Quality, P.O. Box 10385, Jackson, MS 39289-0385; (601) 961-5171

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

Robert Rohrlack, Executive Director, Mississippi Department of Economic and Community Development, P.O. Box 849, Jackson, MS 39205, (601) 359-3449,

fax (601) 359-2832, Web: www.mississippi.org.