We understand if Love’s Travel Center wasn’t enough. And, we might let it pass that you might not have thought the sale of the spec building wasn’t enough. It is even OK with us if you didn’t think Winfield United moving into the former spec building wasn’t enough.

But, the news last week of Entergy giving three open sites at Ceres Industrial Park the “project ready” designation is, for lack of a better description, a big deal.

Over the past year or more — under the direction of executive director Pablo Diaz — the Economic Development Partnership has worked tirelessly to check off each box, scratch-off each item on the to-do list and dot every ‘i’ to get this treasured industrial and economic development designation from Entergy.

Not only does this designation announce to the rest of the state — and the region — that these parks are ready for any project that can fit, but it shows that Entergy, one of the main players in economic development in this region, has faith and confidence in these sites.

It also shows that those at the helm of our economic development teams are focused and committed to making sure Vicksburg and Warren County are able to compete for any and all projects that might be looking at this region.

For far too long, the Ceres Industrial Park was relatively left to wither. Yes, there were businesses and industries there, but there was not the care, the attention nor the investment to take it and our community to the next level. We were no longer a player in the regional economic development game because we were not in shape, we were not ready.

Today, we are.

This designation makes us a bigger player in economic development in Mississippi and the Southeast. Will we win every project that comes along? No. But at least we are in the game and ready to play.