Mississippi is a great place for business, and industry leaders from around the globe are taking notice. Some of the largest names in industry already call Mississippi home, including Nissan, Toyota, Yokohama, Northrop Grumman, GE Aviation, Rolls-Royce, Lockheed Martin  and many more. The state’s leaders and economic development professionals work in collaboration to provide existing and prospective businesses with a strong, supportive business climate that exceeds expectations and fosters innovation, growth and success.

In September 2014, Williams-Sonoma, specialty retailer of high-quality products for the home, announced the company was expanding operations at its 2 million square foot distribution centre in Olive Branch in North Mississippi. The project represents the creation of 900 new jobs in addition to the facility’s existing 650 employees. The facility also employs between 2,000 and 3,000 seasonal workers each year during peak periods.

In October 2014, Calbee North America announced it would locate snack food manufacturing operations in Senatobia, Miss., a $51.1 million corporate investment that is creating 254 new jobs. Calbee North America is a joint venture of Calbee, Inc., of Tokyo, Japan and R.D. Offutt of Fargo, N.D. The company became one the first Japanese food manufacturers in the US in the 1970s when it began selling its Saya and Shrimp Chips brands. Today, Calbee’s brands include Harvest Snaps, Jagabee, Whole Cuts, Potato Chips and Saya Snow Pea Crisps and Shrimp Chips.

In May 2015, Steel Dynamics, Inc. (SDI), announced it was expanding operations at its Columbus, Miss., steel mill, a corporate investment of approximately $100 million that created 40 full-time jobs. For the project, the company added painting and Galvalune® capabilities, allowing SDI to produce additional value-added steel products at the Columbus location, which has a shipping capacity of 11 million tons per year.

In addition to Williams-Sonoma, companies with distribution needs continue to discover the benefits of Mississippi’s prime location and robust transportation system. In June, AmerisourceBergen, one of the largest global pharmaceutical sourcing and distribution service companies, announced it was locating a distribution facility in Olive Branch. The project represents a $48 million corporate investment and the creation of 129 jobs. AmerisourceBergen helps healthcare providers and pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturers improve patient access to products and enhance patient care. Its services include drug distribution, niche premium logistics, pharmaceutical consulting and more.

Mississippi’s automotive industry continues to thrive, as well, further bolstering the state’s position as a leader in the Southern Automotive Corridor. In February 2015, Toyota’s Blue Springs, Miss., automotive manufacturing plant celebrated the 500,000th Toyota Corolla coming off the line. The production milestone was reached faster than any other Toyota plant in the US, a strong testament to the productivity of Mississippi’s workforce and Toyota Mississippi’s 2,000 employees.

In September, Nissan’s Canton, Miss., automotive assembly plant celebrated the production of its 3 millionth vehicle, a 2015 Nissan Murano, which was added the plant’s production line-up in 2014. The addition of the Murano positioned Nissan Canton as the global source for Murano production.

In October 2015, Yokohama Tire Corporation celebrated the grand opening of the first phase of the company’s new commercial truck tyre manufacturing plant, Yokohama Tire Manufacturing Mississippi, in West Point, Miss. The plant is the company’s first in the US to be built from the ground up. The first phase of the project represents a $300 million corporate investment and 500 new jobs. Potential future expansions are expected to increase the company’s investment and employment levels up to four times in accordance with future growth.

When global leaders choose to locate or expand in Mississippi, the reasons most often cited include the state’s highly skilled, quality-trained workforce, its prime geographic location and close proximity to major US markets, and the commitment by state and local leaders to understand and meet the needs of companies. These companies are increasingly discovering the benefits of a Mississippi location and put the state on the global stage when they choose to locate in the state or grow their existing operations.

Learn more about doing business in Mississippi