Gov. Tate Reeves spent the lunch hour in Vicksburg as the keynote speaker for the Vicksburg Warren Chamber of Commerce’s August luncheon, during which he praised local schools and touted opportunities for economic development in the region.

“I am very lucky and fortunate to be able to serve as Mississippi’s 65th governor,” Reeves said. “And I really do think the work that is being done in this city and county by elected leaders is not going unnoticed.”

Economic Development

Reeves first highlighted growth in capital investments across Mississippi in the 10 years before he was elected governor. During that time, the state averaged approximately $900 million per year in new capital investments. By comparison, in 2022 alone, he said, the state had more than $6 billion in economic development announcements.

The significant increase is due in part to Mississippi’s economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Reeves said. Playing on the phrase “Mississippi is open for business,” Reeves attributed the state’s success during the first three years of his term to its workforce.

“One of the things COVID brought us that was a positive — and there were a lot of negatives — is it brought us the opportunity to show not only those who operate businesses in our state but also those who operate around the country and around the globe that Mississippi is open for business,” he said. “That we have a workforce that, in spite of challenges, shows up and is willing to be trained.”

Workforce Development and Education

Workforce development is another contributing factor to the state’s economic growth, Reeves said, and it’s something that must begin in primary school and continue through adulthood.

The governor highlighted his efforts to work with Sen. Briggs Hopson (R-Vicksburg) to implement more than $100 million for workforce development during his term.

“This is investing in our people so they can not be prepared for the jobs of the last 50 years, but be prepared for the jobs of the next 50 years,” he said. “Not only have we been able to do it for those that are already out of school; we’ve also seen record investment in our K-12 educational system.”

Locally, Reeves praised the Vicksburg Warren School District for efforts to improve graduation rates over the last 10 years, putting those rates in perspective as it relates to the state’s workforce.

“Ten years ago, the national average for high school graduation rates was 84.5%. Mississippi was 72.5%,” he said. “Since that time, the VWSD has gone from somewhere less than 60 to 90%.

“What that means in the real world is that, every single year in our state, 3,000 to 4,000 kids graduate high school that 10 years ago would not have,” he added.

Over a 10-year period, that number equates to 30,000 to 40,000 Mississippians — about 1% of the state’s population, earning a high school diploma when they might not have otherwise, which in turn improves their opportunities for higher-paying jobs and a greater quality of life.

Reeves also addressed the “Mississippi Miracle,” a New York Times-praised phenomenon that resulted in stark improvements in fourth-grade standardized test scores and, Reeves said, moved Mississippi from last place in reading and math scores to the top 30 in the country.

“There’s really nothing anyone can say but praise for these results,” he said. “”If you compare our fourth-grade test results to everyone in the Southeast United States, Mississippi has the smartest fourth-graders in the Southeast. If you have the smartest fourth-graders today, in 10 years you’re going to have the smartest workforce in the Southeast United States, which is going to lead to more opportunities for our state.”

Opportunities in Warren County

In Reeves’ opinion, a “single or double” for the state is a “grand slam” for smaller communities.

Innovations at the Ceres Industrial Complex and the proposed Port of Vicksburg expansion near U.S. 61 South, the governor said, are shaping up to be grand slams in Warren County. He praised the city and county government and the Vicksburg Warren Partnership for their collaboration on the project.

“With the partnership between the city, county and economic development agency and ultimately with the state investing in infrastructure, the new port is something I’m extremely excited about,” Reeves said. “It’s a site that has real potential and opportunity, because the Mississippi River creates a unique advantage. But also, that particular site has great power options, great water and sewer options and great options for train (traffic).

“It also creates the opportunity for some major capital investments and major projects over the next couple of years,” he added.

Reeves also took time to encourage local leaders to seek Warren County- and Mississippi-based companies to complete work at the new port site, touting the benefits of creating jobs through capital investments.

“It’s about, ‘If I’m going to invest, tell me how I can get it done very quickly.’ That’s the process the community is going through with the site south of town,” he said. “It takes time to get through the preliminary work that has to be done to ensure the site is ready to go, and I think those are the kinds of investments that are being made right now that will pay huge dividends long-term.”