Marcus Dufour, Managing Director of Business Attraction, Retention and Expansion for the Vicksburg-Warren Economic Development Partnership, recently announced his departure from the Partnership and acceptance of a role with Mississippi Power Company.

Dufour was on staff with the Partnership for five years, during which he served as an essential player in Vicksburg and Warren County’s economic development.

“It has been a pleasure having Marcus as part of the Vicksburg Warren Economic Development Team. He has been a key member of the team and his contributions were essential in helping the Port Commission move important initiatives forward that helped us create hundreds of jobs and attract significant investments to the region,” said Pablo Diaz, Executive Director of the Warren County Port Commission and President and CEO of the Vicksburg Warren Economic Development Partnership. “He led the expansion of our Business Retention and Expansion, Entrepreneurship and Recruitment Outreach programs, and supported the development of some of the most transformational projects happening in Warren County including MCITy and the development of a new port south of Interstate 20.

“We wish Marcus the best in his new professional endeavors and thank him and his wife Kierstan for their contributions to Vicksburg and Warren County over the past several years,” Diaz added.

In his new role, Dufour will serve as a business development representative for Mississippi Power’s economic development department.

Dufour said his new role will be a great opportunity to build upon the knowledge gained at the Partnership.

“My new position is similar to what I did in Vicksburg and Warren County and when I was at the state economic development group,” Dufour said. “I am now working with economic development marketing, industrial site development, industrial site certification, those types of things.”

Dufour also said that, upon accepting his new position, he took a moment to reflect on his time at the Partnership and the successes to which he contributed.

“It was an amazing experience. From the people that I worked with, the companies that I’ve worked with over the years, seeing them kind of grow and prosper and looking back on it, and it’s really neat to see the things that we were able to accomplish,” he said. “It takes a lot to accomplish those types of things. And we had a really, really good team — not just (the Partnership staff); we had a lot of champions in our corner and a lot of people that helped us out, and it was very impactful. I’m very thankful for all the help we received in order to accomplish our goals.

“It’s really neat to see what we were able to accomplish and where the organization is going to go in the next five years through the new strategic plan.”