Aerial of the Pearl River County Industrial Park as of July 2024
Governor Reeves recently announced the State of Mississippi is investing $1,438,650 through the Site Development Grant – Select Sites Program administered by the Mississippi Development Authority for the Pearl River County Industrial Park, located in Poplarville on Highway 26 off of Interstate 59. This site development grant will be used to construct a water tower, relocate power lines and other eligible expenses that support industrial development at the site.
“In Mississippi, we are investing in economic development, and we are investing in site development in every single region of our state,” said Governor Reeves. “We have prioritized site development, because we believe that speed to market is a key component of decisions that are going to be made in the future and we’re going to be prepared for that.”
The Pearl River County Industrial Park is located in Mississippi House District 106, which is represented by Representative Jansen Owen, and Mississippi Senate District 40, which is represented by Senator Angela Hill. Senator Angela Hill stated, “It is clearly evident that Governor Reeves believes in Pearl River County and is supportive and invigorated by the progress and direction we are making in economic development. I appreciate his confidence and his direct communication with me about this opportunity and his support of our community.” Representative Jansen Owen echoed Senator Hill’s statement further saying, “The continued site development of industrial sites is the key to growing our local economy and bringing new, good paying jobs to Poplarville and Pearl River County and I’m thankful to Governor Reeves and proud that we were able to secure this significant funding for the continued development of the industrial park and what has continued to be a historic investment in Poplarville.”
Malcom Perry, President of the Pearl River County Board of Supervisors, stated “Economic development and industrial recruitment is a team effort and Pearl River County is thankful to Governor Reeves, our legislative partners and the team at the Mississippi Development Authority for their continued investment in the growth of Pearl River County and the surrounding region. The continued support and investment into the Pearl River County Industrial Park will significantly benefit the recruitment efforts for new industry that will be able to call Pearl River County home and will make a tremendous economic impact through their future investment and job creation for south Mississippi.”
Pearl River County will utilize the Site Development Grant – Select Sites funding for the construction of a water tower, relocation of power lines and other eligible expenses needed for the proposed improvements. The investment in the utility infrastructure of the industrial park is in addition to the previously awarded Site Development Grants administered by the Mississippi Development Authority and funding awarded through the Gulf Coast Restoration Fund. The total funding to date for the Pearl River County Industrial Park totals $10,602,000.00, of which $8,911,450.00 (84.054%) is from grant funding or non-local funding sources.
Lindsay Ward, Director of Economic Development for Pearl River County, stated “the continued improvements at the Pearl River County Industrial Park is creating a premier site that will we are actively using to recruit new industries that will create high paying careers and make strategic investments in our community. Pearl River County has aligned its focus on site development to enhance the economic development outlook for the region and to increase our ability to be competitive for future industry recruitment.”
Pearl River County recently held its bid opening for two projects that were previously awarded funding for the Pearl River County Industrial Park through the Select Sites – Site Development Grant Program and the Gulf Coast Restoration Fund. The Highway 26 Widening Project and the Grade, Drain, and Base Project for the Pearl River County Industrial Park both received significant responses to their advertised bids, with the contract award for both projects expected to occur at a future Pearl River County Board of Supervisors meeting.
In total, the Mississippi Development Authority is committing over $27 million in funding for Select Sites throughout the state. Created in 2021, the Select Sites program was designed to increase the number of highly competitive industrial sites available to meet the needs of prospective companies. From the 32 top publicly owned industrial sites evaluated through the select sites program, the Pearl River County Industrial Park site was one of ten chosen to apply for Select Sites funding based on the current funding availability.
For more information on the Pearl River County Industrial Park, please contact Lindsay Ward at lward@pearlrivercounty.net.