The Hattiesburg area leads the state in job growth for metropolitan areas, an Area Development Partnership official told the Lamar Count Board of Supervisors Thursday.
Speaking from the audience, ADP Vice President for Economic Development Todd Jackson – who stayed for the board’s executive session to discuss economic development matters – said the numbers for the area’s job growth are strong.
“Our region is No. 1 in the State of Mississippi with 2.7 percent job growth with more than 1,700 net new jobs added for 68th in the nation,” he said. “It’s a really good, solid dataset that shows Hattiesburg is leading the state. This economy is so diverse that it’s really a good time to be in economic development. There has been growth in everything from healthcare to back office to manufacturing to retail to banking, all that good stuff. I think it is pretty good across the board.”
Jackson said the area’s attitude toward new and existing businesses promotes growth.
“Hattiesburg is such a business-friendly city, no matter who is in office,” he said. “It comes from the counties to the municipalities. Everybody wants to see this community grow, wants to see this community prosper.”
Jackson said before the executive session that he planned to discuss upcoming ventures that help the area grow.
“These projects that we are going to talk with them about today are good, solid projects for these outlying communities,” he said. “We’ve got a couple of really good opportunities that could be good for the area.”
