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Mississippi’s Advanced Material Resources Celebrates Anniversary and Continued Innovations in Polymer Research

The Mississippi Polymer Institute (MPI) celebrates its 25^th Anniversary and the School of Polymer Science and Engineering continues to forge new ground as a renowned establishment at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM).

As the world around us evolves and there is demand for change, the University of Southern Mississippi has risen to the forefront as a leader in innovative research. The need for advanced material understanding for industrial growth has the attention of Mississippi Polymer Institute (MPI) and the School of Polymer Science and Engineering. Director Dr. Monica Tisack discusses activities at MPI, and Professors Dr. Derek Patton, Dr. Xiaodan Gu, and Dr. Jason Azoulay discuss new advances in research and the future of polymer research.

The Mississippi Polymer Institute Anniversary

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the MPI has made a name for itself as a hub for assisting advanced-material businesses in their growth efforts. The industrial outreach service for the University of Southern Mississippi originated in the Department of Polymer Science, and its success can be attributed to “standing on the shoulders” of the university’s institutional knowledge of material science while honing services that focus on industry and commercialization needs. MPI now operates within the Accelerator, a facility located at USM’s Innovation and Commercialization Park five miles off the main Hattiesburg campus. Clients can lease space for their STEM-based businesses while taking advantage of USM’s resources.

In the beginning, work came from needs in the paint and coatings industry; however, MPI now works in many polymer market segments including personal protection, medical, forensics, aerospace, automotive, electronics, and consumer products, just to name a few. The last couple of years have seen an expansion and diversification in customer needs. Testing and workforce training needs are continually growing, and manufacturing troubleshooting work often yields multimillion-dollar benefits. However, it’s the demand for product development that is really taking off, both in large companies and area startups. MPI has been growing to address those needs.

“One attractive and growing use of polymers is in the development of medical devices,” said Dr. Monica Tisack, director of MPI, where they are working with startups that need medical device prototypes for clinical trials and external multinational corporations that are developing new products to improve human health. “This is an exciting and innovative area for advanced materials that will continue to grow.”

“Another type of product development activity where there’s a real need is a (local) means for scale-up work. We have several active programs currently, and we want to be able to address even more companies when they don’t have the equipment needed for market demonstration. This can be done with a multifunctional and configurable pilot plant at MPI, and that’s the vision for our next phase of growth. This allows a broader range of needs to be met so that more entities can come in and develop their products on a larger scale,” Dr. Tisack explained. “We know of companies that need to demonstrate scalability and market traction, and they want that capability locally. MPI is in a unique position to be able to help many companies that possess the lab-scale technology but need that extra hand to get to the next stage and ultimately grow the local community of technically based businesses.”

Materials Capabilities Expand at the School of Polymer Science and Engineering

There continues to be an evolution in advanced materials, and while USM is widely known for excellence in and contributions to the coatings and aerospace composite industry, there are other areas of material expertise and capabilities that are also building momentum locally. We were able to get three professors’ input on polymer research, trends, and potential for local industry participation.

Dr. Derek Patton, associate professor at the School of Polymer Science and Engineering, described many activities at the school that are currently underway. First, the university has reorganized itself in such a way as to gain more collaboration between the different groups, which means there will be more interdisciplinary bodies of work. Second, they have been adding state-of-the-art instrumentation and equipment for small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) or wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) as well as chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The most recent is the X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) – an instrument that will enable surface elemental analysis at nanometer depths with minimal compositional disturbance.

This new equipment has some of the most advanced capabilities of their kind in Mississippi. There’s also the big news that the school has recently been approved to establish the Center for Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, as well as adding two new professors. One professor will specialize in polymer physics and physical chemistry, while the other specializes in biomaterials.

The Future of Polymers

Bio-inspired Polymers

Dr. Derek Patton is an expert in bio-inspired polymers, and this is an area he expects to see grow based on interest and demand for anti-fouling coatings, new antimicrobial materials, and new biodegradable materials that degrade efficiently into eco-friendly by-products.

A bio-inspired polymer is one that is developed when a researcher looks to nature to find examples of the function they are trying to create, and then molecularly designs materials to mimic those types of properties. For example, the surface of a lotus leaf or a rose petal exhibits a hierarchical roughness that results in excellent anti-wetting properties that are critical for the design of coatings that prevent unwanted organism growth or membranes for liquid-liquid separations.

Dr. Patton’s group creates polymer coatings that have similar types of hierarchical roughness ranging from nanometers to microns that are anti-wetting, just as in nature. One goal is to create oil-water separation membranes using scalable processes such as spray applications and UV curing to apply these coatings to common textiles. This approach provides a quick and cost-effective means of separating oil from water. They’ve also worked with companies and national park agencies to create anti-fouling coatings to protect and restore historical gravestones.

Functional Degradability

A second example of using nature as a source for polymer design is an NSF-funded project to synthesize degradable materials capable of tunable and sustained release of natural bioactive agents.

“Many aldehydes found in the essential oils of plants, such as thyme, star anise seed, or vanilla beans, exhibit antimicrobial properties. In collaboration with Dr. Dimitri Mavrodi in the university’s biology department, we are using these aldehydes as building blocks for degradable polymers.” Dr. Patton explains, “Ultimately when the polymer degrades, it degrades into the original active component that can be used to mitigate the growth of bacteria and fungus in many applications, including food product packaging.”

Dr. Patton is also exploring similar design concepts, using essential oil constituents as building blocks to create polymers that, once discarded, rapidly degrade into innocuous byproducts under common landfill conditions.

Conductive Polymers

Dr. Xiaodan Gu, assistant professor in the Polymer Science and Engineering Department, leads a group of researchers who study an existing frontier in polymer electronics. When considering polymers and plastics, there is a new trend where polymers are becoming more prevalent in high-end applications electronics. Some technologies have already been commercialized. For example, the latest-generation smartphones and TVs are made with an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology. The key enablers of those technologies are polymers that conduct electricity. It may be surprising to some since plastic is usually an insulator, but it can be designed to conduct electricity.

Dr. Gu believes the future of polymer science will increasingly involve applications requiring high-value components with new functionality not achievable with the traditional silicon transistors that are in plastic solar cells, wearable and even implantable bioelectronics.

“For example, I worked with Prof. Zhenan Bao at Stanford University who is making rapid progress in bioelectronics. Bioelectronics can provide a way to restore human touch or movement by an external stimulus in the event of bodily injury or a situation where brainwaves have a disconnection from the intended point of movement. In the near future, injured soldiers will regain the ability to walk using this sort of technology by connecting the nerve with an external prosthetic device. Polymeric materials are the perfect candidates for this type of complex procedure due to their tailorable physical properties and electronic functions, making them more compatible with the human body.”

In the short term and more related to Mississippi manufacturing, he sees printed electronics as a perfect option. Printed electronics have already been commercialized in OLED televisions. In the battle of OLED vs LED televisions, OLED TVs have a considerably better picture quality and contrast. With some modifications to existing manufacturing technologies, printed electronics could easily be produced in Mississippi.

The Unveiling of a New Center

According to Dr. Jason Azoulay, assistant professor in the Polymer Science and Engineering Department and recipient of the 2017 Nokia-Bell Labs Prize, there are a number of exciting projects going on at the university. One of the research projects underway includes next generation-infrared optoelectronic technologies based on organic semiconductors.

Optoelectronics is the technology of electronic devices that interact with light or other “invisible” forms of radiation. The goal is to make sophisticated materials easier to manufacture, which will overcome a major technological need for next-generation devices. In fact, Dr. Azoulay has demonstrated through his research that hundreds of innovative materials can be produced affordably and in very short periods of time, enabling high through-put screening and acceleration of the R&D phase.

In conjunction with this area of research, the school is now home of the Center for Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, which will advance progress with a premier facility that allows faculty and students to operate, research, and compete at a national level. The center will initiate and promote collaborative research to enable advancements in the design, synthesis, and control of complex materials, systems, and associated technologies. The collaborative research across Mississippi extends across many different fields such as polymer science, chemistry, biological sciences, and marine sciences and is relevant to energy, biomedical, and environmental science products.

From an industrial perspective, making electronic devices has been historically expensive, but now one can get started making highly complex molecules that do sophisticated things with the addition of a few new instruments and equipment that make them commercially viable and available at a fraction of the cost.

The Polymer Evolution and Resources to Industry

The Polymer Evolution is here, and the University of Southern Mississippi continues to be at the forefront of this expanding territory. Mississippians do not have to look far to get expertise, a glimpse of what the future can hold in the area of polymer science and engineering, or to find commercialization support to grow their product portfolio and manufacturing capabilities.

Posted in 2019, Issues, Single Article Sidebar, Spring & Summer

Integration and Automation = Faster Time-to-Hire

In recent years, employment background screening has gone from a costly and time-consuming task to an automated and technology-driven necessity where employers expect fast, accurate, and inexpensive results.

Job applicants and hiring managers often get frustrated with the hiring process when the same questions need to be answered multiple times and tracking applicants is labor intensive because the employee information management system is not integrated with the background screening and drug testing services.

Applicant Tracking Systems

An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is a software application designed to help employers recruit employees more efficiently. Integrating the employment background screening and drug testing services with an ATS is advantageous to employers as well as their applicants.

Fast Results

The main goal of both integration and automation is access to fast results. Rapid and accurate results are critical in helping hiring managers efficiently move through the hiring process. Where it previously took days to obtain the results of a county-level criminal background check, hiring managers now receive rapid results from a nationwide search. In short, databases and file transfer technologies have changed the landscape of employment screening. What used to take days is now automated with technology that yields instantaneous results.

Competitive Edge

A greater number of employers are integrating instant and automated employment screening products into their hiring process to help them gain a competitive edge when it comes to quickly hiring the best candidates. Instant searches allow employers to move forward in the hiring process by quickly confirming or validating basic information such as a Social Security number or name and address history. Automated searches quickly move the employment screening and drug testing along by providing electronic delivery of process updates and results. Eliminating time delays often associated with manual follow-up on important screening components such as drug testing, employment, or education verifications promotes a faster time-to-hire, which can make the difference in securing a right candidate, especially in hypercompetitive hiring environments.

Onboarding Regulations

In the United States, as part of onboarding a new employee, employers must ensure that all the required paperwork is properly completed and submitted, on time, with no exceptions. A standardized and automated electronic Form I-9 and E-Verify solution that satisfies U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) requirements related to electronic creation, signatures, retention, and security of the Form I-9 ensures all onboarding paperwork meets regulations.

A paperless I-9 E-Verify solution enables employers to create, view, download, store, and print the Form I-9, as well as run management reports on demand. These solutions provide built-in tools such as automated error checking that help an employer complete forms accurately and promote compliance.

Automation, Integration, and Compliance

Integrating employment screening, drug testing services, and I-9 E-Verify solutions into an employer’s Applicant Tracking System will result in reduced workload, faster time-to-hire, and a lesser likelihood of errors. The integration of background screening and drug testing processes with an employer’s ATS streamlines the background screening process with the hiring process. Implementing an ATS with a full-cycle hiring workflow “closes the loop,” with a consent-based SSN verification (CBSV) during pre-hire, I-9 and E-Verify at the time of the job offer. That combined with ongoing monitoring during the remaining period of employment dramatically simplifies documenting the employee lifecycle.

Finding the Right Solution for Your Company

When it comes to pre-employment screening, there are choices. Finding a screening company with the right tools and processes is key. Integrating an automated Applicant Tracking System can streamline the onboarding process and help ensure hiring compliance. The right company will help make the transition easy, increase your company’s ability to quickly identify best candidates, and reduce the time-to-hire.

Empower your hiring process. Eliminate unnecessary labor, reduce costs, increase accuracy, integrate, and automate. With the right solution in place, you can turn your company hiring process into a distinct competitive advantage.

Ricky Rayborn is the President of Laborchex, an accomplished author, and a veteran of the U. S. Marine Corps. Laborchex is a Brandon, Mississippi-based company that offers a full array of pre-employment screening services including Drug Testing, Criminal Background Checks, Driving Records, Employment Verification, and Department of Transportation (DOT) Verification with the convenience of easy, instantaneous, online access.

For more information about employment screening and documenting services, contact Laborchex at 1-800-880-0366 or visit www.laborchex.com. Laborchex is an MMA partner and provides MMA members discounted pricing through the partnership program.

Posted in 2019, Homepage, Single Article Sidebar, Spring & Summer

Mississippi’s First Bourbons

Mississippi passed its first statewide Prohibition law in 1907. Mississippi was the first state to ratify the 18th Amendment, which prohibited alcohol sales across the country. Mississippi was the last state to abolish Prohibition in 1966, over three decades after the 21st Amendment was passed to end Prohibition nationally in 1933. 2017 marked the year of Mississippi’s first bourbon. And bourbon production is manufacturing.

When we think of bourbon, we think of Kentucky. Many people still believe Kentucky is the only state where bourbon is made.

Bourbon is America’s only native spirit, much like Scotch from Scotland and Champagne from Champagne, France. While bourbon production matured in Kentucky, being made in Kentucky is not a requirement when it comes to producing bourbon. Being made in the United States is a requirement.

Now Mississippi produces four bourbons.

Bourbon Origins

While there is some dispute over bourbon’s origins, it is recognized that whiskey was being made in Kentucky commercially as early as 1783. Both the Samuels family (Maker’s Mark) and Evan Williams have claims. A Baptist minister, Elijah Craig, joined them just six years later in 1789, and the Beams followed suit when they sold their first barrel of “Old Jake Beam Sour” whiskey in 1795. Whiskey was being made and labeled as bourbon in reference to a cluster of counties all called Bourbon, not the single Bourbon County of today. It was not until 1840 that the name “bourbon” became the commonly used term.

In 1964, bourbon was declared “America’s Native Spirit” by an act of Congress, at which time regulations were instituted to define what signifies a bourbon. That 1964 declaration gives us the rules of bourbon that we live by today.

While the vast majority of bourbon is from Kentucky, more and more states are beginning to produce it.

Spirited Growth

Bourbon has always enjoyed popularity. Because bourbon is aged, the spirits on the shelf today were put in barrels years before, so inventory is locked in far ahead of the sale. In recent years, bourbon’s popularity has skyrocketed and so have prices. A good deal of the demand is attributed to Asian markets, where the taste for fine whiskeys has driven demand to record highs. An increase in demand and a trend for craft libations has resulted in more craft bourbon producers.

The Rules of Bourbon

Location

To be categorized as bourbon whiskey, “America’s Native Spirit,” the spirit must meet certain criteria. First, bourbon must be produced within the United States.

Recipe

The grain mixture used to produce the bourbon, called the mash bill, must contain at least 51 percent corn. Most bourbons contain 60-80 percent corn. The remaining grains can be wheat, rye, or malted barley. Fresh spring water is often used. One thing that distinguishes Kentucky bourbon is the use of naturally limestone-filtered spring water. No coloring or flavoring may ever be added to bourbon.

Aging

Barrels used to age bourbon must be fresh American white oak, which must be charred and used only once. Bourbon must be aged at least four years to be labeled “Straight Bourbon.”

Proof

The spirit must be distilled at no more than 160 proof, enter the barrel for aging at no more than 125 proof, and bottled at no less than 80 proof.

Final Product

Bourbon is sold from a single barrel or in small or large batches, which are blends from multiple barrels. If it is barrel proof, then no water has been added after the whiskey is removed from the barrel. It can also be sold filtered or unfiltered. Almost all bourbon is filtered.

Mississippi Introduces Bourbon

Run by proprietor David Rich, Rich Grain Distillery produced Mississippi’s first three bourbons:

a Wheated Bourbon, a High-Rye Bourbon, and a Four-Grain Bourbon. In 2017, the Four-Grain Bourbon was the first bourbon released to the public. Rich Grain later released the Wheated Bourbon and the High-Rye Bourbon, along with the Four-Grain Bourbon in a holiday gift set. All three bourbons are handmade and bottled at 90 proof.

Cathead Distillery, Mississippi’s first and oldest distillery since Prohibition was repealed, released its first bourbon, named “Old Soul Bourbon,” in November 2018. Mississippi’s fourth bourbon, Old Soul, is a high-rye mash bill bourbon. The mash bill contains 75 percent corn, 21 percent rye, and 4 percent malted barley.

Tours are available at both distilleries. Each brand is available in many Mississippi stores that sell spirits, but the Rich Grain Wheated and High Rye bourbons are only available at Beside the Grain, a spirits store located in the same building as the Rich Grain Distillery. Beside the Grain also features a mural of the history of whiskey making on the outside of their building.

Since Prohibition ended in Mississippi in 1966, the road was cleared for Bourbon manufacturing. Now Rich Grain Distillery and Cathead Distillery have brought bourbon production to our state.

Rich Grain Distilling

339 West Peace Street

Canton, MS 39046

601-391-3190

Rich Grain Distilling offers distillery tours featuring a spirits tasting session every Saturday from 11am to 4pm on the hour for $7 per adult. Kids are free but do not get to sample the wares. A variety of Rich Grain products, including Mississippi’s first three bourbons, can be found at spirit stores and fine establishments throughout Mississippi and beyond. For more information, visit richdistilling.com or facebook.com/richgraindistillingco.

Cathead Distillery

422 South Farish St.

Jackson, MS 39201

601-667-3038

catheaddistillery.com

Cathead Distillery is located at the corner of Court Street and Farish Street in downtown Jackson. The 20,000-sq-ft facility offers tours and spirits tastings for $15 on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 3pm to 7pm. Tour guests are welcome to extend their visit at an inhouse craft beer bar where they can also enjoy ping-pong, board games, and a gift shop stocked with Cathead spirits, shirts, hats, and other gear. Dogs and kids are welcome but can only partake from the nonalcoholic beverages.

Beside the Grain

339 B West Peace Street

Canton, MS 39046

601-391-3701

facebook.com/BesidetheGrain

Beside the Grain is a spirits and wine store that sells all of the Rich Grain bourbons in addition to a wide selection of tried and true spirit and wine brands.

Posted in 2019, Homepage, Single Article Sidebar, Spring & Summer

MDA – Burning Desire to Win

Mississippi’s manufacturing industry is a picture of steady growth, and there’s no sign of a plateau.

Glenn McCullough, Jr., executive director for the Mississippi Development Authority, is a native Mississippian with a burning desire to see Mississippi’s economic development not just succeed, but exceed expectations.

The Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) is one of Mississippi’s most influential state agencies and it shoulders great responsibility in creating and supporting programs and policies that help direct Mississippi toward economic gains and increased workforce capabilities. To make that vision a reality, the MDA has systems in place to constantly monitor the economic state of growth and the pipeline of potential projects considering locating in or expanding in Mississippi.

It’s the People

While McCullough is a firm believer in metrics, he places his greatest emphasis for success on the people of Mississippi. He believes they are the backbone of economic development. They provide the workforce with characteristics that cannot be trained. McCullough describes Mississippi as a state with people who have a “unique sense of place,” where the partnership between its people and companies breeds success. He sees the strength in a Mississippi populace who want careers over jobs. “We are all just two degrees (people) of separation from anyone in the state. We are accountable.” Says McCullough regarding the dedication of Mississippians, “If we work for a manufacturer, we are going to make them the best manufacturer on Earth.”

On the Books

With 89 major projects in the pipeline, the MDA is managing one of Mississippi’s most robust economic pipelines in years. Each project is groomed and guided by the MDA. The team at the MDA works alongside resource providers creating partnerships and alliances that help ensure the greatest opportunity for success for new or existing manufacturers in Mississippi that are expanding operations and seeking support. Partner organizations include local economic development offices, state agencies, utilities, community colleges, and research universities.

A Workforce That Wins

When it comes to economic development, McCullough leads with: “We win with people.” He sees heart in Mississippians who strive to be successful with a career to provide an honorable living for their families. Mississippians are proud of what they have achieved and how they participate in the world.

Having heart is a competitive advantage. The programs that Mississippi has put into place in order to develop the talent of its workforce are driven by this desire to achieve.

Mississippi Works

Mississippi Works focuses on three main areas of economic development:

To help craft a long-range strategy to expand economic opportunities in Mississippi with a focus on workforce development;
To help bring new investments to all regions of our state while continuing to grow existing businesses and expand them into new markets;
To provide a forum for Mississippi business leaders to learn about all the great work going on throughout our state, and giving them tools they can use to spread awareness of Mississippi’s success stories around our nation and world.

This manufacturer-sponsored program is providing $50 million in funding over time, which is used to fund academies and apprenticeship programs in the state.

Diesel Academy

The Hinds Community College Diesel Technology Academy offers students classroom and hands-on training with diesel technologies and real-world equipment. Graduates of this program are job ready and many join Mississippi-based trucking companies.

Furniture Academy

The Mississippi State Furniture Academy launched in 2017 and started with a partnership of MSU, Itawamba Community College, Northeast Mississippi Community College, Community Development Foundation, Three Rivers Planning and Development District, and four furniture companies. Today, there are 10 furniture companies that partner in this academy and have first interview rights with the graduates. There are student scholarships, and graduates can get higher compensation based on their certification from the academy.

Coding Academies

The Mississippi Community Colleges Board, Innovate Mississippi, and the MDA launched Mississippi’s first public/private co-funded coding academy in 2017 and its first class graduated in 2018. The academies are training newly graduated high school and college students to become computer programmers. The first training program placed students in an immersive, full-time, five-day-a-week training environment for nine months. Sponsorship and curriculum guidance come from private industry and many students in the programs have job offers before graduation. Five more coding academy programs are expected to be offered by Mississippi community colleges in 2019.

Working in a Direction

The heart of manufacturing is creation, and Mississippi has shown that it does that well. Mississippi directly employs 13 percent of its workforce in manufacturing, compared with 5-6 percent of most states. Mississippi manufacturers supply the world’s most advanced radar systems, automobiles, warships, helicopters, aerospace technologies, and more. Mississippi manufacturers are adding value and innovation to agricultural technologies, forestry, healthcare, medical device technologies, and to many other fields.

Mississippi has a strong culture of manufacturing. With incentives for new and growing manufacturers, there are tangible career paths for workers in the industry. Programs are in place that support a continuously learning workforce that is being developed with the future of manufacturing in mind. Partnerships between the public and private sectors add grounded funding. Dual curriculum opportunities allow Mississippi residents to accelerate their entry into manufacturing careers.

Glenn McCullough, Jr., working with a dedicated MDA staff, the governor’s office, state agencies, educational institutions, and private companies across the state, is helping to drive Mississippi toward its future as a leader in manufacturing. He concludes with another simple promise: “We will do more.”

Did You Know?

Mississippi High-Tech Defense Manufacturing

Raytheon, located in Forest, Mississippi, manufactures the most advanced radar system in the world. It can detect and take out (with partnered weapons systems) a football over 800 miles away.

Israel Aerospace Industries and Stark Aerospace in Lowndes County, Mississippi, are manufacturers in “David’s Sling” and the “Iron Dome” defense system that defends Israel from incoming missiles. Of 500 missiles launched from Palestine into Israel, only one missile made it through.

Mississippi manufactures the drones that neutralize threats to U.S. military ships.

Posted in 2019, Homepage, Single Article Sidebar, Spring & Summer

Fundamental Online Strategies for Manufacturers

Optimizing Your Online Presence to Remain Competitive in Today’s Quickly Changing Marketplace

Businesses in every market segment, from advertising to manufacturing, struggle to maintain an online presence that takes into account all of the aspects of the quickly changing landscape that is the internet. From critical updates in website technology to being found on search engines to utilizing social media platforms, there are key pieces that every business needs to take into account when reviewing their online presence and how it works for their business.

Websites Built for Today — Leaving the ‘90s

Websites have changed dramatically over the years, especially with the ubiquity of mobile devices. No longer is a one page, content-free presence enough — not for search engines, and certainly not for target audiences — both now expect much more from the websites of the businesses they deal with.

Google Cares

In 2017, the largest search engine, Google, made their first announcement that sites not deemed “mobile-friendly” may be penalized in searches made from mobile devices. Cutting-edge websites are now being built responsive, meaning the layout of the site responds to the size of the device that the viewer is using. A site will look and function differently on a small cell phone screen compared to a large desktop computer monitor. At the end of the day, the ultimate goal is to rank sites that provide users the best experience based on their device, which is good both for the client and for businesses.

People Care

Website design standards are forever in flux. Full-screen websites are all the rage right now, but at the end of the day, website design and functionality has to match content and personality. Avoiding “fad” designs not only saves money (since websites do not have to be constantly redesigned and redeveloped), but also helps your company look reliable and established, rather than fickle and chasing popularity with no substance.

Form and function need to work together for each business’s website to effectively represent that individual business.

Strategy 1: Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO has become more complex.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is information added to a website’s code to help search engines, such as Google, properly identify key features of your business. Each search engine has its own search algorithm, which attempts to interpret the content on the website and backend code to display the website for people who are searching for those key features.

For much of the life of the internet, sufficient website SEO was quite easy to manage — a few keywords, a few links, and you were essentially primed to be found by people searching for you. As online interactions have become increasingly more important for individuals and businesses, not only has competition increased in virtually every market space, but so has the complexity of websites and of search algorithms.

No longer can companies “keyword stuff” websites — instead of dropping dozens of keywords on each page, search engines expect you to carefully define what each page of your website is about.

No longer can you assume that a general overview of your company is sufficient — search algorithms now take into account features like locale, website traffic, the significance of your content, backlinks, consistency with social media, and overall online presence.

On the other hand, no longer do businesses have to rely solely on search engine algorithms to piece together what the business does and who their target audiences are — structured data markup can now be added to website code to identify anything from where the owner attended college to the amount of specific items your business has in stock. As search algorithms scan a website, they pick up the structured data markup, which allows your business to give very detailed information to the algorithm, thereby allowing the search engine to direct the proper traffic to your website.

Strategy 2: Online Advertising

Another way to get in front of people searching for products and services is through paid online ads. This type of advertising allows your business to define target audiences, craft messaging that will call them to engage, created targeted ads, and then place these ads where your audience spends time online.

Google Adwords

Google AdWords is a leader in online paid advertising, since you can create ad campaigns specifically to show in Google Search results. Google Search commands about 75 percent of search queries world wide, so odds are good that your audience is on Google. AdWords are PPC (pay per click), so you can write text, set target audiences, add keywords, and only pay if people click on your ads to learn more.

In Social Media

Paid advertising in social media works similarly to AdWords. Depending on the specific platform (some offer more control than others), audiences can be defined, texts written, images and videos added, and then the created ads are set to work. With people spending increasingly more time on social media platforms, you can make these ads work best by carefully selecting the platforms that your target audience spends the most time on and concentrating efforts there.

Retargeting

Retargeting ads are also rapidly growing in popularity, and can be placed nearly anywhere — search results, social media, and even third-party websites. These ads allow you to market your products to people who have already interacted with one of your online properties — hence the term “retargeting,” or “remarketing.”

Technology has gotten sufficiently sophisticated to even allow remarketing to happen at specific time intervals. A company can now show ads for product refills, for example, retargeting a person at the proper time for them to purchase refills. Whether getting back in front of a potential customer after three days, or reminding an existing customer after two months, retargeting ads can be crafted to keep your brand in front of consumers.

The world of paid advertising online is constantly growing and evolving, offering ways to reach consumers that were unimaginable only a few years ago.

Strategy 3: Social Media

In order to reach customers and potential new clients, you have to meet them where they are.

Social media platforms — including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, G+ (which is about to change), Pinterest, LinkedIn, and many others — are a moderately recent feature of people’s online lives, but one that seems here to stay. Businesses have quickly discerned that the places where people gather to interact are places they can be reached. For example, when everyone listened to the radio or watched the television, those were the platforms where businesses focused advertising dollars to share their message.

Today, people gather in huge numbers on social media platforms. More conservative advertising industries, including manufacturing, have largely shied away from a robust social media presence, primarily because of the feeling of newness and the uncertainty about how to tap into that new space.

To avoid feared “new media” pitfalls, the key word in all social media interactions for businesses is relationships. Social media is not a place to overtly advertise; it is a place to carry on conversations. Whether formal or informal, any interaction that places your business in conversation with a possible client is moving in the right direction.

Social media offers the perfect platform to get in front of potential customers, converse with them, and establish yourself as the go-to expert in your industry — all at a price point much lower than traditional advertising outlets like print or television.

Connect with your audience, because the most meaningful of all interactions are connective.

Strategy 4: Content Marketing

How do businesses enhance their brand in even the most minor interactions?

Content marketing.

Strategically speaking, even if your business dominates its marketspace like Coca-ColaⓇ or AmazonⓇ, every interaction with a consumer or potential customer should be taken as a chance to further your brand.

Pithy statements and cutesy graphics do very little to substantively build a brand. Instead, base your business’s online strategy around meaningful content. Inform and educate — this will bring people back to you again and again. Content marketing that connects to an audience is not purely didactic, rather interactive and a joy to consume.

For example, instead of simply telling people that your product is better than the competition, delve into the problem you are solving, why it exists, and how you solve it. Let your expertise demonstrate why you are the company to trust rather than attempting to lower their respect for competitive products, services, and companies.

Content marketing works everywhere — sound website content, informative online ads, conversational interactions on social — it even works in print and television. Building your story around meaningful information creates a bond between consumer and company that no “in your face” ad can ever match.

Competitive Online Presence

To remain competitive in today’s market, a successful online presence is necessary. By focusing on key strategies for websites, online advertising, and social media, any manufacturing company can interact with their audience online.

Matthew Jackson is vice president of client services at Think Webstore, a media production and integrated marketing agency based in Ridgeland, Mississippi, dedicated to helping companies realize marketing, branding, social, and online strategies. Among his various duties at Think, he oversees online strategies for social media, SEO, and paid online advertising for clients. In addition to working with Think, Jackson is married, a father, an avid reader, a busy freelance writer, and a regular contributor to multiple publications.

Posted in 2019, Homepage, Single Article Sidebar, Spring & Summer

Custom Metal Solutions: Forming a New Steel Empire

Mississippi is known for launching new
manufacturing enterprises. Custom Metal Solutions is turning hard work, tough-as-steel tenacity, and a strategic plan into an industry leadership model. It is a story of vision, mentorship, ambitious learning, planning, and defiance.

In Mississippi, we have the benefit of being home to many manufacturing companies, and Jeremy Chrislip, CEO of Custom Metal Solutions, has a tale to tell. It is a story of success built on character, planning, and execution. Knowing the start-up story as told directly from the founder provides a privileged look at the nature of the success of a newly established player in Mississippi’s manufacturing community.

Building Blocks

Childhood

As a child, Jeremy spent time with his grandfather as he visited his business customers. During these early years, Jeremy was learning. He was doing what many parents (and grandparents) hope kids are doing when we are passing along “adult”-level lessons — he was absorbing. He was taking direction and learning lessons that would help guide his view of entrepreneurship and his measure of success. Jeremy’s grandfather knew the nature of the customer relationship and how to nurture it to build and sustain a business, and Jeremy was inheriting it. To this day, Jeremy still quotes his grandfather and uses his grandfather’s anecdotes to guide his team.

Formal Years

As Jeremy grew up, he found a place in team sports — excelling in football, basketball, baseball, and golf. He attended business school at Mississippi College as a football student athlete and finished in four years. One of the most valuable lessons he garnered from his school years came from sports: the strength of a team. He came to understand how to depend on other people as they are in turn depending on you; to act as a group working toward a mutual goal with complete trust. This became integral in Chrislip’s view of success. This lesson would have a role in defining his search for a work culture that embodied his idea of “team.”

Corporate Learning

Chrislip’s first career position in the metal industry was as an inside sales representative. He was hired by a Navy veteran and engineer who had chosen to go into sales. This gentleman would become Chrislip’s first professional mentor. Chrislip was pushed to learn all pricing and processes in order to sell properly. His new boss gave him hard but valuable marching orders: “Learn the business from the inside out, the ups and downs, the lefts and rights, and everywhere in between. Then you can have conversations with people. Otherwise, you are worthless to me.”

Notepad in hand, Chrislip spent every day increasing his product knowledge, understanding capabilities, and mastering quality measures. Daily lunches with his boss and mentor included drills on new knowledge and shared industry insights.
Every opportunity to learn and lead was taken. In his early career, Chrislip worked in operations and sales. He was then recruited to participate on a $10 million project to re-engineer the company’s computer systems. It was here that he had the opportunity to formally put together all of the pieces: order entry, costing components, building, materials, inventory, sales, and distribution. He was assigned to the design and quality assurance teams and was then deployed in setup and training. He mastered the systems and transactions. Jeremy learned the ins, outs, ups, downs, lefts, rights, and everywhere in between.

Twenty-five employees were identified as potentials in a succession plan for the leadership team as the CEO was preparing to retire and the leadership team was preparing to shift. Chrislip was chosen as one of the candidates. The candidates were sent to Rice University to participate in an executive training program. However, leadership positions were slow to open and Chrislip was feeling the need to find a culture that better resembled the sports team model that never left his mind.

The next two years began with a new position as a national sales manager, when he also developed relationships with people in the industry as he began offering consulting as a favor. By the time Chrislip was ready to venture out on his own, he had all of the pieces lined up to do it successfully.

Start-Up

After a great deal of research and planning, Chrislip launched Custom Metal Solutions. Equipment was located, funding was aligned, and alliances were formed. The company began with secured funding and vertical integration, where the primary investor was also the company’s first customer. This conservative approach to a launch model added stability and predictability to the start up. Once the business opened, many of Chrislip’s close connections chose to do business with the new company.

Best Practices

Vertical integration aligned the company. Best practices made it better. Vision made it work together.

Chrislip now had the opportunity to mold a company using the best practices he had been filing away during his early career. He drew inspiration and direction from the three greatest teachers he had in his life: his grandfather, sports, and his mentor. He had done his homework. He had industry knowledge and contacts. He knew how he wanted to model the culture. Jeremy says he is doing nothing new, that he is just executing what is known to be the right way. However, he also brought a few new ideas to the table.

Chrislip had developed buying channels for steel that his competitors could not compete with. Custom Metal Solutions added value by offering “roll to stock” and “roll to order, ” and offered the convenience of on-site off-loading.

Growth to Retail

Custom Metal Solutions was executing to plan. Wholesale baseline volume determined distribution. The next strategic step was to leverage wholesale security to establish a retail channel. Custom Metal Solutions reached out to a reputable design agency and established its retail brand, secured a logo, built a website, and began to market its products to the public. The result has been another integrated sales channel that has experienced continuous growth.

Custom Metal Solutions

Today, Custom Metal Solutions has a matured operations group and salesforce. They are focused on integrated, vertical business channels. They continually seek out ways to sort out efficiencies for their customers and their internal operations, and attention is given to smarter throughput and time to delivery. Custom Metal Solutions is an established and growing company that has earned a place in the Mississippi manufacturing landscape. Says Chrislip of his success, “I don’t have time to look in the rearview mirror.”

Posted in 2019, Single Article Sidebar, Spring & Summer

The World’s Deadliest Animal vs. Mississippi Manufacturing

Spartan Mosquito is on a mission to help the people of the world, and are on track to grow a company worth hundreds of millions in the process. When they introduced the Spartan Mosquito Eradicator into the retail market in June of 2017, the initial consumer response far exceeded expectations. Now Spartan Mosquito is one of Mississippi’s fastest growing companies.

Spartan Mosquito has made the battle against mosquito bites a business model and it is proving to be big business. Spartan has become another shining example of a company that has been extremely successful at growing a manufacturing operation from the ground up in Mississippi’s manufacturing-friendly environment. Spartan’s year-to-year percentage growth is currently measured in thousands.

A big part of Spartan’s win in this business is having a product that works, since so many mosquito control products on the market do not deliver. The market stimulus is that mosquitoes inhabit nearly all parts of the world (except Antarctica), and that people universally hate mosquitoes and the trouble they bring.

Mosquitoes are a nuisance. They are notoriously difficult to avoid and they carry several diseases that can often be life threatening. Among the more dangerous and notable diseases are malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, encephalitis, West Nile, and Zika.

The World’s Deadliest Animal

In the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal published on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, it is reported that each year mosquitoes are responsible for more deaths than any other animal.¹ Mind you, it is not the irritating bite that kills; rather, it is the wide array of illnesses that are vectored, or carried, by mosquitoes.

While densely populated areas are most at risk for disease outbreaks, American suburbia has been hit particularly hard by fatalities from West Nile and Zika.

The World Health Organization (WHO), in a Kobe Center 2014 report,² listed malaria as the most devastating mosquito-vectored disease, claiming more than 600,000 lives annually and leaving 200 million individuals sick and incapacitated for days. The WHO reports that malaria cases in 2017 numbered 219 million, up two million from 2016. Deaths from malaria worldwide in 2017 numbered 435,000.³

Bill Gates, whose foundation has done groundbreaking work in mosquito control in Africa, reports on Gates Notes how dangerous mosquitoes actually are to people.⁴ Mosquitoes are found in every region of the world except Antarctica. They are the third largest insect population on the planet, just behind termites and ants. Mosquitoes are responsible for 50,000 times more deaths each year than sharks, but they don’t garner the same attention as sharks and other deadly animals such as snakes, crocodiles, and spiders. There is no “Mosquito Week” on TV.

It is not just the pesky mosquito bite that is the problem.

Strategic Science

Spartan Mosquito Eradicators are hung in trees along the perimeter of a property. These are not traps. These devices attract mosquitoes, which feed on the solution, fly away, and are eradicated. They control mosquito populations by eliminating the active “hunting” mosquitoes, which are often females preparing to lay eggs.

Once the Eradicators are properly prepared and placed (typically hung in trees), they work to form a barrier to lure hunting mosquitoes by emitting the same attractants that draw mosquitoes to people and animals. Mosquitoes that feed will perish before they reproduce, thus shutting down the breeding cycle.

No eggs, no mosquitoes.

No mosquitoes, no bites.

Fewer bites equal fewer opportunities for mosquito-vectored illnesses, which leads to happier barbecues and kids playing outdoors.

Spartan Mosquito’s Eradicators are so effective that they eliminate up to 95 percent of the mosquitoes in their zone of protection in around two weeks, and they continue to work for up to three months.

A Welcomed Invention

Mississippi-born manufacturer Spartan Mosquito introduced the Spartan Mosquito Eradicator to the public through small mom-and-pop retail stores in Mississippi during the middle of the mosquito season in 2017. After using existing lackluster products to thwart mosquito bites including candles, coils, lights, and spray-on chemicals, people were amazed at how well Spartan Mosquito Eradicators worked. The price point of less than $25 per box was also right.

The First Boom

Within several weeks of being introduced, Spartan Mosquito Eradicators were being sold in retail stores across Mississippi. Sales continued to accelerate and, by the end of 2017, the company was preparing for over 1,000 more retail stores across the nation. This explosive growth propelled the company through three production setups and two warehousing strategies in a matter of months. In November, just six months after introducing their product to retail stores, Spartan had moved from their small, makeshift production spaces into a 63,000-sq-ft warehouse in Laurel, Mississippi.

Managing Explosive Growth

Spartan’s emphasis on marketing and sales successfully led the company into new markets — enabling people to learn about and try the Eradicators for the first time. However, another challenge was ever present and growing. Spartan had to manage and scale, in real-time, teams and facilities for production, distribution, and their central office function as sales simultaneously grew at breakneck speed. Vendors and backup vendors had to be tested and added, production lines had to be grown, reconfigured, grown, and reconfigured again. Back office functions like accounting and legal needed to be established, assessed, and rethought for budget and requirements through multiple stages of successive, rapid growth.

Planned fluidity is a difficult but necessary achievement in a company with rapidly changing requirements. In order to be successful, Spartan had to live and perform in a real-time, changing operational environment.

Ramping Up

In 2018, production ramped up and the new warehouse began to fill. To ensure inventories could be produced within timeframes, Spartan developed redundant supply chains. Vendors were tested to gauge their actual delivery capacity and timeframes versus their promised ones. Schedules had to be fluid, while directives were focused in order to manage cash flows and meet goals.

A dedicated, full-time support team had to be established to operate the newly opened, third-party, online marketplaces alongside the existing retail brick-and- mortar locations. Support processes had to be constructed and implemented within the team. Product packaging and collateral had to evolve. Advertising channels had to be secured. All the while, Spartan was hiring and the team was in a growth flux. Specialized departments were established. Business growth was every bit as explosive.

National Presence

At the close of the 2018 mosquito season, Spartan Mosquito Eradicators were being sold in 47 states in America and the company had officially begun accepting meetings with big box stores. In addition, Spartan had production facility requests from every continent, except Antarctica, and they were beginning to accept meetings with countries that were interested in producing and selling the product. The new 63,000-sq-ft warehouse space had already become tight.

A Company to Watch

This Mississippi startup has come a long way in less than two years. They have shown that Mississippians know how to pull together to make a manufacturing business run. Pay attention in 2019 as this Mississippi-born manufacturing company enters new markets with a growth rate that is normally associated with the tech world.

References:

Posted in 2019, Homepage, Single Article Sidebar, Spring & Summer

Social Media in the Manufacturing Sector: Using Today’s Trends for Tomorrow’s Successes

Begin at the beginning — social media refers to a fairly recent phenomenon wherein various platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) are established for individuals to interact online. Increasingly, businesses are also setting up profiles and interacting on the platforms. These sites, or social media platforms, are used for anything from mundane updates about people’s daily lives to serious business outreach and education.

Manufacturers increasingly have to analyze whether or not they need a presence on social media and exactly what that presence should look like. Is social media a trending fad that will fade, or a building movement that will impact how consumers interact with providers for many years to come?

Generalizations: Setting the Bar
There are some basic truths about social media and its use that go beyond specific business purposes. Understanding the way social media can, and should, be used by the business world is the first step to deciding how a specific company can optimize interactions on the various available platforms. Without this general understanding, any success you see is merely coincidental.
The first major consideration for businesses considering the use of social media answers the question “what is the primary purpose of social media for a business?”

Addressing the question means understanding the primary purpose of social media. Social media platforms are intended to be exactly what their name implies — places to be social. Individuals use social media to stay connected with one another, whether by sharing recipes and pictures of their children or sharing ideas and significant life events. If you post too much, people unfollow you. If you get too didactic, people unfollow you. Lose your interesting edge, and you risk a mass exodus of followers.

In the modern world of 24 hours news cycles and immediate gratification, consumers have come to expect more of the companies that manufacture the products they use. An active social media presence makes your business available to the public, which is huge in today’s marketplace. Everyone wants to feel like they “know” you. Social media gives them that sensation. Additionally, based on the content you share, you can educate, demonstrate expertise, and build a level of trust based on relationship. Social media for businesses is more about relationships than anything else.

Social media is NOT primarily an advertising or sales medium, at least not in the sense of traditional sales media. Rarely will you make direct sales on Facebook, for instance, but you can help set a tone for a meeting that might end in a bid or a contract or a crucial new hire. Most importantly, being (or seeming) available to the general public and building relationships is worth far more than any individual transaction.

Everyone wants to work with a company that’s on top of things. Being active on social media shows that you know what’s going on in the world, but more importantly your content demonstrates that you are consummate professionals and absolute experts at what you do. This helps provide a level of comfort, a level of trust in the services and products you provide

Specifications: Finding Your Audience
Once we understand the general impetus and movement of social media, then we get to the second major question, “how can/should my business best utilize social media platforms?”

Firstly, every business using social platforms has two audiences — Google and people. The interactions between search engines like Google and being found online is a topic for an entire article on SEO and social media, so suffice it here to say that an active social media presence can help your rankings in search engines, helping your overall online presence in some important ways.

Secondly, and more to the point, who are your human audiences and how do you reach them?

1)The General Public
The most obvious, and non-specific, audience is the public at large. Any brand (company, manufacturer, product, etc.) has a public image. Connecting directly with the public is an ideal way to craft and manage brand reputation. By carefully choosing and planning social posts, engaging in meaningful representative interactions, and representing your company according to brand strategy in the public sphere, the overall public perception of your company can be radically influenced.

Where might you find them: On any social media platform.

2) Potential Customers
Since individuals are the primary users of social media, your customers will be present on the platforms by default. Whether you are providing goods directly to an end user, supplying in bulk to distributors, or looking at something altogether different, your audience will be on social media. By being exposed regularly to what your company represents, people in any position (average consumer to CEO) can come to know and relate to you.
Where might you find them: This depends on the exact nature of your businesses. Consumer goods can be well represented on Facebook and Twitter; business facing goods and services are better represented on platforms like LinkedIn and Google+.

3) Potential Business Partners
Potential partnerships are initiated in a wide range of ways, and many connections begin on social media platforms. Whether looking to discover a new product or niche, or for a partner to support an already flourishing undertaking, your presence on social media places your company in front of many potential partners for your business.
Where might you find them: Again, this depends on the exact nature of your business. People tend to be present on platforms that closely align with their lifestyles — LinkedIn for white collar professionals, for example.

4) Potential Employees
Individuals spend increasingly more time on social media platforms. The use of these sites crosses age ranges, with the major discernable difference being the platform of choice for any given age group. Locating skilled workers for manufacturing jobs has become increasingly challenging over the last few years. Your potential employee pool is on social media today. Find them. Reach them. Impress them. Make them think, “I want to work for you!”

Where might you find them: Everywhere. People need jobs, and companies need qualified employees, and these people can be found on any of the social media platforms available.

Applications: The Right Social Media Partner
The third and final question, before trying your hand at the real world of social media interactions, is this — “do I need help, and how do I find the right help for my company?”

Most manufacturing companies, because of the multitude of daily demands in the industry, will need assistance with social media, from choosing the platforms that are right for them to managing daily postings and responses to interactions. Unless your company wants to bring in someone full time for the position, finding the right partner is crucial for a presence that will benefit your company and brand.

What are some qualities to look for in a social media partner?

1) Partnership
You can assess a social manager’s general outlook from the first meeting. It is imperative that your social media partner be a true partner, working with you every step of the way for your success. Do they want to work with you, or for you? Do they take your goals and business seriously? Do they ask the right questions to fully understand your business in order to properly represent your products and brand on social media platforms? Do they offer continued consultation and evaluation of on-going efforts?

2) Flexibility
Business can be a fast-paced world, and you need a social partner who can work with the ebbs and flows of your needs. Scheduling is crucial for a consistent social media presence, but spur of the moment announcements and even dramatic changes to set schedules happen. Will your social media partner have the flexibility to adapt to the ever changing needs of your company?

3) Relevant Content Production
At the heart of social media management is the content posted on the various platforms on a daily basis. Writing relevant content that draws the right kind of attention and spreads the right messages should be the cornerstone of a good social media partner — telling stories, asking questions, touting your other partners/clients. Does your partner do the necessary research? Can they produce and write the content you need, and your followers crave?

4) Reporting
What are the reporting capabilities of the company you are considering? Can you get detailed numbers (followers, viewers, interactions) and analysis for all of your social media properties? Are they also able to integrate with your website, looking at how your social media activity may be driving leads and sales? Without serious, regular reporting, it is virtually impossible to see what type of impact your social media work is having for your brand.

Maintaining an active and engaged social media presence in today’s online world is a must for practically every company, regardless of field or size. By understanding how to use it, who your audiences are, and choosing a good management partner, your company’s social media platforms can be a cost-effective and significant part of your total outreach and media strategy.

Posted in 2017, Single Article Sidebar, Spring & Summer

Hinds Community College Centennial

Mississippi’s Mid-Level Workforce Development Leader turns 100

Among the pillars of higher education and workforce development in Mississippi is Hinds Community College. Established in 1917, the institution is celebrating its 100th year of community inspired service. The exemplary community college is lead by its sixth president, Dr. Clyde Muse, who assumed the leadership role 39 years ago. Dr. Muse has since been dubbed the “Godfather of Community Colleges” by his contemporaries and colleagues.

If you are driving along Highway 18 in Raymond, deep in the heart of Mississippi just beside the Natchez Trace, you will pass Hinds Community College. Seeing the main campus in person, driving past the campus football stadium and multitude of classroom buildings, administrative buildings, and student dorms, you may easily mistake the Raymond campus for a four-year university. The impression is earned.

Not your Average Community College
Hinds Community College proves that students can have a full campus experience without attending a four-year university. Students can pursue a two-year Associate of Applied Science or Associate of Arts degree, take courses to transfer into a four-year program, or earn career and technical certifications that prepare them for entry into mid-level skilled jobs or serve as a foundation for higher-level workforce careers.

Hinds Community College is the state’s fourth largest higher learning institution. In addition to academics, the two-year college offers a full range of sports programs including football, basketball, soccer, softball, golf, baseball, tennis, and cheer. Their men’s baseball team went to the National Junior College Athletic Association College World Series in 2014. The most impressive achievement, however, for this institution is not its outstanding campus and student-life offerings that rival four-year colleges and universities. The most impressive achievement of this college is in the workforce-ready students it graduates year after year.

Real World Impact
Hinds Community College has one of the largest impacts on the mid-level workforce and the manufacturing resource, production, and delivery cycle in the state of Mississippi and the southern region as a whole. As the fourth largest higher learning institution in the state of Mississippi, Hinds Community College delivered over 3,100 workers to the workforce in 2016 (graduated 1,509 students and credentialed 1,615 students). Its accolades include being ranked first in the nation in community college programs, being ranked first in the nation for career technical programs, and exceeding the national average for college completion for first-time, full-time students. Hinds Community College combines private partnerships, higher education funding, and real-world environments and resources with an invested student population to create one of the most successful, impactful set of programs in the country.

Return on Investment
Hinds Community College provides a return on investment for students, collaborating companies from the private sector, and Mississippi state taxpayers.
Students who attend Hinds Community College can earn degrees and secure job offers in two years or less. Hinds is a place private industry can partner with academia to create programs that ensure job readiness from graduating and certified students. It is a college that manufacturers, transporters, and raw material companies can depend on as a steady resource for skilled workers.

As a partner and a resource, Hinds Community College is a draw for new companies locating to Mississippi when workforce is one of their primary assets that dictates success for their business and is a significant factor in choosing a location for their facilities.

For the state, every dollar spent provides a return. According to the National Strategic Planning and Research Center (nSPARC) at Mississippi State University in a report entitled “What is the Value of Community Colleges to Mississippi Taxpayers?,” in Mississippi, every dollar of state funding in community college delivers a $4.86 return to taxpayers.

Follow the Jobs — Industries and Programs
Since its inception, Hinds Community College has geared its programs toward job sectors in need of workers. The community college was actually founded as an agricultural high school.
Just 100 years ago, in 1917, the “Hinds Agricultural High School” started with 117 students to develop graduates that would go on to farm-related careers. Following World War II, there was a need for aviation mechanics and an aviation program was formed. As part of that program, an airport was constructed. The John Bell Williams Airport is still an active part of the campus.

Today, the John Bell Williams Airport airport offers diverse aviation programs and is home to the college’s Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) program, the first program of its type in the region. The college also has an agreement with Delta State University for those individuals interested in obtaining a bachelor or doctorate degree in commercial aviation.

Other career programs and course categories important to the manufacturing lifecycle in Mississippi include the Riverbarge Program, the Diesel Technology Academy, Truck Driving Academy, Agriculture, Welding, Sales, and Logistics. According to Dr. Chad Stocks, Vice President of Workforce Development and Career and Technical Education, the Agriculture program focuses heavily on the poultry and beef industries, and in 1991, Hinds County had more cattle than any other state east of the Mississippi River.

Crossover Leads to Innovation
Of particular interest is the crossover that is achieved between programs. While welding has obvious applications across industries — from shipbuilding to construction to auto making to general manufacturing — other program crossovers are synergistic. For example, Hinds Community College Agriculture Program and the Hinds College Drone Program partners with Mississippi State University’s Precision Agriculture Program to monitor agricultural interests from the air — interests such as crop progression, infestation monitoring, moisture monitoring, and yield monitoring. Says Dr. Stocks, “It is estimated, that in 2017, 80% of Hinds Community College Drone Technology will be applied in ‘precision agriculture’.”

Experienced Leadership and an Equation for Success
The President of Hinds Community College is Clyde Muse. He has served as president since 1978. Dr. Muse is known in the academic community for his deep knowledge base of the community college system, his decades of experience in all levels of education, his strategic planning, and his well-grounded advice to his colleagues. Muse began his career in public education in the 1940s. His career spans high school education to the apex of higher learning leadership.

A Complete Life Cycle Approach replete with Efficiency
Dr. Muse is well known for his strategic approach to leadership and program management. For four decades at Hinds Community College, Dr. Muse has promoted private partnerships, full life cycle curriculums, and program efficiencies, and today the college is a leader in all three categories.

Private Partnerships
Local private industry partners may provide equipment, funding for facilities, or contributions to curriculum. The result is that many industry programs include hands-on experience for students with the actual equipment they will use on the job, familiarity with real-life procedures, and the credentials required for an actual position with the partner company. Ultimately private industry partners benefit from a qualified, graduating workforce and often provide jobs for graduates.
Among the Hinds Community College and academy partners are:

Full Life Cycle Curriculums
Rather than focusing on a single segment in a manufacturing process, leadership has positioned the college to provide programs for all parts of the manufacturing life cycle, from resource allocation to final product delivery, including (based on industry) transportation, administration, sales and account management, parts sourcing, manufacturing, and maintenance.

Program Efficiencies
The programs offered by Hinds Community College are continually evaluated to ensure that current workforce needs are being met. Sometimes there are complete program changes, like the addition of the Drone Program. Other changes include efficiencies like the Diesel Technology Academy, which graduated about 16 students per year at its inception, and now has a staggered schedule that graduates up to 16 students every eight weeks. In the process the academy has also reduced class size, increased quality, and increased safety.

A Higher Learning Institution Made in Mississippi
It is appropriate that Mississippi is the home for Hinds Community College. Mississippi has an abundance of mid-level workforce opportunities for employees, and attracts manufacturers from around the world with its manufacturing-friendly business policies and its fully committed workforce. Hinds Community College has become an institution that empowers Mississippians of all ages with the promise of honest work and well-paying careers, and its private partners with a continuous stream of able workers.

In today’s higher-learning culture that is fraught with higher costs and weakened job markets, it is inspiring to discover a choice that offers two-year programs and certification programs that shorten the time for education, decrease educational costs, and offers excellent opportunities for employment directly out of school by design.

Well done, Mississippi!

Posted in 2017, Single Article Sidebar, Spring & Summer

Spartan Mosquito Eradicator

New Mississippi invention, the Spartan Mosquito Eradicator, devastates mosquito populations simply and affordably. Two Spartan Mosquito Eradicators cover approximately one acre, last 90 days, and sell for about 20 dollars per pair.

Contact Spartan Mosquito

1.844.625.2742

www.spartanmosquito.com

Inspiration for Invention
One summer afternoon in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, a husband decided that he was not okay with his pregnant wife having to soak herself in bug repellent. He had cause to be worried about mosquitoes. West Nile disease was actively being spread by mosquitoes in Mississippi.

Jeremy Hirsch, founder of Spartan Mosquito, began reading about mosquito control techniques being pioneered in Africa by the Gates Foundation and others. He had noted the criticisms of the solutions being temporary. In many cases, product duration was determined by the next rain since it washed the products away.

Later, Hirsch watched a hearing in congress where a repellent company’s response to the Zika outbreak was to ramp up the manufacturing of its existing repellent to 24 hours a day (and sell more product). Keep in mind that repellents do not kill mosquitoes, they only hope to keep mosquitoes at bay. He thought to himself, “I can do better.” And, he did.

Bad News for Mosquitoes
Out of frustration, and then inspiration, came innovation. After many months of researching and prototyping new device ideas, Hirsch invented the Spartan Mosquito Eradicator. This device stands to revolutionize the mosquito control industry world-wide. The Spartan Mosquito Eradicator attracts hunting mosquitoes by emulating attractors of their natural prey — animals and people. Once the mosquitoes feed, they die. Female mosquitoes feed just before they lay eggs, which means the breeding cycle is also broken. The result is a solution that decimates the mosquito population within the range of the devices, with two devices covering about an acre. This innovative concept stands to change the way people manage mosquitoes.

Success Criteria
According to Hirsch, the solution had to be effective, easy, affordable, long-lasting, and as safe as possible. The inventor created a device that only requires the user to add warm water and hang it in the shade. Studies show that the device, once activated, provides greater than 95% mosquito control for 90 days.

To date, the device has been tested in both formal and informal environments from the swamps of Florida to the bayous of Louisiana, on the Mississippi coast, in the Mississippi delta, and even in a Zika control area. In every case, mosquito “hits” (mosquito bites or landings) are reduced to near zero, or zero, within weeks or even days.

The biggest wins for the customer are the effectiveness and the price point, making it a product for the masses. Consumers get two units for around $20, which control approximately one acre and last 90 days. That is a fraction of the price of many mosquito control services and solutions.

Price point is also an advantage in taking the product to market. Hirsch says, “By bringing a product to market that is better than sprays, repellents, candles, and repellent services, at a price point that is a fraction of the cost of professional spray services, we have opened up the market. We just received approval to sell in 10 states, including our home state of Mississippi, and began sales the same day we received approval. The response has been overwhelming after only a week. The phones are ringing off the hook and the website traffic is outrageously high. People desperately want and need this product.”

Solutions for Success
Spartan has perfected two solutions.

The first solution, available now in select states, uses sodium chloride as an active ingredient. As a result, they have the same basic active ingredients as sugar cookies.

The second formula uses boric acid as the active ingredient and only contains a fraction of boron or boric acid content found in direct contact products such as eye washes, talcum powders, soaps, shampoos, and even Silly Putty®. This second solution is pending EPA approval before it can be sold to the public.

The devices are also designed to not harm honey bees, addressing the important issue of bee protection for farmers and environmentalists.

Getting to Market
Spartan Mosquito is working diligently to make the Spartan Mosquito Eradicators widely available to the public in major retail outlets and to world health organizations, government organizations, and nongovernment organizations worldwide, but they have to go through all of the channels for approval both at home and abroad. Hirsch is attempting to get an early greenlight because mosquitoes are so dangerous and his product has ingredients at levels that have already been deemed safe by the EPA in other products.

In the meantime, mosquitoes are carrying viruses, parasites, and diseases including the Zika virus, West Nile virus, and Malaria, and are actively transmitting them to people.

On a Mission
The devastation mosquitoes bring to families, loved ones, and people of all ages is happening now. The company goal is to help prevent the powerfully negative effects of mosquitoes on people in the United States, and in mosquito infested communities abroad as quickly as possible, and many government officials are supporting the product.

Positioned to Succeed
This Mississippi manufacturer has found a way to help people with a device that works and is simple to use. They are positioned to corner the market with a product that addresses a common and serious problem, is easily accessible, and has a low cost point and simple distribution plan. They are rapidly taking orders and scaling their manufacturing.

Spartan Mosquito is a Mississippi business with a heartfelt mission and a strategy to succeed. Using the indicators of public response, market viability, critical demand, and accessible pricing, they are well positioned to be Mississippi’s next successful international, multimillion-dollar manufacturing company — and save lives in the process.

Spartan Mosquito is the manufacturer of the Spartan Mosquito Eradicator. The Spartan Mosquito Eradicator decimates mosquito populations easily and affordably, for about 20 dollars for three months for one acre — reducing mosquito bites and landings by 95%. Spartan Mosquito Eradicators are available for ordering online and expect to be in retail locations beginning in June 2017. For more information, visit www.spartanmosquito.com.

Contact Spartan Mosquito

1.844.625.2742

www.spartanmosquito.com

Posted in 2017, Single Article Sidebar, Spring & Summer

Author Archives: twsadmin

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New Mississippi invention, the Spartan Mosquito Eradicator, devastates mosquito populations simply and affordably. Two Spartan Mosquito Eradicators cover approximately one acre, last 90 days, and sell for about 20 dollars per pair.

Contact Spartan Mosquito

Contact Spartan Mosquito

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Mississippi is known for launching new
manufacturing enterprises. Custom Metal Solutions is turning hard work, tough-as-steel tenacity, and a strategic plan into an industry leadership model. It is a story of vision, mentorship, ambitious learning, planning, and defiance.