Golden Opportunities: Thriving in the Triangle (Part 3)
GOLDEN TRIANGLE, Miss. (WCBI) – The Golden Triangle has become Mississippi’s hub for major corporations and industrial job growth. From transportation companies like Terberg Taylor to corporate giant Amazon, there have been major deals made in this region.
What may be the biggest victory on paper so far is Aluminum Dynamics.
Developers say it’s true. If you build it, they will come. And the biggest economic development project on record for the Golden Triangle is going to create a domino effect.
Garan Incorporated, located at the NorthStar Industrial Park in Oktibbeha County, is set to have a new neighbor in 2025: Amazon.
For decades, the clothing manufacturer was located on Highway 12 in Starkville. Garan moved to a brand new building at the Industrial Park. And, Triangle Crossing Shopping Center, which includes Aldi and department store Marshalls, is now flourishing in the same spot.
The relocation allowed Starkville to retain Garan as a corporate neighbor and generate new tax dollars in a high-traffic portion of the city.
Winning matters in the economic development business.
The biggest victory in the Golden Triangle may be Steel Dynamics and the state legislature’s announcement of a new expansion project, Aluminum Dynamics.
When the mill is in full operation this summer, it will make Mississippi the largest aluminum provider in the country.
“They’re going to invest $2.5 billion in this project and the part that the state is putting up is relatively minor. We’re giving a grant of $155 million for the company on it really come into the play for the construction process,” said Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann.
When construction is complete, close to 1,000 jobs with an average salary of $93,000 are expected to be filled surpassing the state average.
“I think those kinds of jobs with that level of compensation will attract more people. As you and I both know, it will also raise the cost of some of these others. The wages in some of these other industries that are already there,” said Hosemann. “Unless I missed my part about this. This will end up being with Mississippi State University doing advanced research with this company and the companies that co-locate here. I think the odds of that are very high because we have a great university system. How can we get our universities to research this and our young men and women coming out of universities then to being employed, not with just company but spinoffs that come from having probably the most advanced aluminum mill in the country.”
Keep that thought in mind for part four of our Golden Triangle Industry Tour Series.
The first domino to fall following the announcement by Aluminum Dynamics, Owl’s Head Allows. The aluminum waste company will operate out of West Point.
