The CEO of Golden Triangle Development LINK lacerated, eviscerated, and mutilated the Mississippi Development Authority leadership in an interview published in the Columbus Dispatch yesterday. Some excerpts of the interview are posted below but the rest of the article is worth reading. The Dispatch reported:
Higgins, a nationally renowned economic developer who has led the LINK for more than 14 years, said MDA's philosophy is flawed on numerous fronts, and the organization lacks both the vision and leadership to improve it. He compared MDA's reorganization efforts in recent years to "rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic."Ouch. Needless to say, reporters dream of landing someone such as Mr. Higgins for an interview.
Specifically, Higgins leveled his harshest criticism at the MDA director of more than two years, Glenn McCullough -- whom he said had surrounded himself with an inexperienced team, could not be depended upon to keep appointments and was trying to be a "king-maker" by dictating where projects locate. As a result, he said, winnable projects are choosing other states. ...
The CBS news program "60 Minutes" featured Higgins' and the LINK's success late last year, and faculty from Harvard's School of Business even visited the Golden Triangle in October to study the area's success.
Lately, Higgins said, there hasn't been much to see.
"We ain't got s*** for prospects," he said. "And the quality of the projects we are working isn't very good. ... It's dried up."
In past years, Higgins said the LINK was submitting proposals to company site consultants at least once weekly and hosting site visits for prospects about twice a month.
Now, the LINK is working only four projects -- that are estimated to create a total of 350 jobs in the region -- and three of those are in alternative energy. Higgins wouldn't call any of the projects "iffy," per se, but he said they were less concrete than the LINK's usual deals. ....
MDA's strategy for offering incentives -- usually in the form of funds for roads and infrastructure at project sites -- doesn't help either, Higgins said, as it rewards the number of jobs a project creates more than the quality of those jobs. ....
Underpaid project managers at MDA, as well as regular turnover in those positions, also has reduced Mississippi's competitiveness, Higgins said. ....
Higgins claims there's a specific bias at MDA toward the Golden Triangle.
"I understand the bias to some degree because they look at us and think, 'Boy they sure do get a lot,'" Higgins said. "We do win a lot. But by trying to spread it around, they keep risking Mississippi losing projects altogether.
"They don't get it," he added. "They don't have that many swings at the plate. They've got to make them all count." Rest of article.
34 comments:
What's keeping the governor from decentralizing economic development efforts? I've read a lot about Higgins and how he operates - perhaps he needs a more prominent role. This sound a lot like every state government office in Mississippi, squash innovation to keep friends in certain position, regardless of whether or not they are effective.
I saw that CBS news program. Higgins came off as a know-it-all jerk with an agenda. I would take his advice with a grain of salt.
Agreed. Just another example of the present Mississippi machine fattening friends than serving all of Mississippi....and as Higgins so accurately mentioned, no one is willing to talk about because of the culture of fear. The present, corrupt political machine doesn't like straight talking outsiders (Notre Dame alum)....and they fiercely punish them as often as possible.
When I moved here I was asked where I went to school..."Did you go to Ole Miss or State?" I answered neither and said I went to MIT for undergrad and earned my Master's at the London School of Economics. The woman looked at me like I was speaking Chinese and asked what I was doing here, after the way she treated me, I began to wonder the same... What a shame that this state doesn't value education unless it comes from a Mississippi institution.
What about KIOR? Joe Higggins did not start this - MDA and Haley did and we are going to lose about $72 million on the deal. Lowndes County got their taxes and some other bills were cleared up. MDA is suing KIOR's parent company - but nobody in Phil's administration is even talking about it - because Phil wants it to go away. This is WORST than the beef plant and Haley and Phil promoted it big time! Joe Higgins is a great economic leader in Columbus and the Golden Triangle. I just hope another state tries to steal him! Luckily, Joe loves Lowndes County and plans to stay! Higgins has several projects in the works and we look forward for them to come to the Lowndes area!
The Meridian thing is as interesting. Conflict of interest anyone?
Agree with 4:48. Heard him at a meeting last month. His self-confidence was sickening and he was continuously vulgar. Did not realize his audience was people who did not appreciate that. He came off as someone you would not want to hire, or associate with. May have been successful, but personality is very rude. Way over the top.
Glad Higgins is calling out the self-serving interests of MDA. A true asset for the state.
He's right.
Ole Miss area needs some jobs. Can't keep giving them to MSU territory. Glenn recognizes that fact.
Bigot redneck against a inept state agency. We all lose.
Bro, John "Porkin' Wright" Porter is resigning from MDE at the end of the month due to "personal reasons" ... what say you?! Good work!
Last week, Joe Max was blaming HB1523 and the state flag for making it more difficult for Mississippi to attract new companies. There, he's right.
Now, he's saying MDA is ineffective, and that ineffectiveness is hampering economic development efforts in the state. Here, he's partly right.
The Development Authority is ineffective. Such ineffectiveness may hinder deals from taking place in Joe Max's area. Is that a bad thing for you, me, and other taxpayers? The Development Authority's ineffectiveness might lead to fewer lopsided "deals" where the state will funnel taxpayer money to some company in exchange for a ribbon cutting and a flimsy promise of new jobs. If incompetence and inexperience are the way to reduce crony capitalism in this state, then let it be. The underpaid project manager is far less dangerous than any well-paid veteran that "won" KIOR and other boondoggles for us.
The ones ignoring the flag, are the ones who can get taxpayer subsidized lower educated and cheap labor.
Higgins may offend some with his language and personality, but you cannot argue with his stellar track record. He gets results. Big results. That's what he gets paid for. If MDA is in his way, I hope he bulldozes it. Yes, I live in Columbus.
Like him, love him or hate him, Joe Max is a booming success. And McCullough is a dismal failure.
Hmmmm. Seems like Joe Max and Ronnie Musgrove are singing from the same hymnals.
I get his gripe about the state trying to spread projects around, but MS isn’t really going to improve until our weakest links get stronger. Adding another project to the Golden Triangle, Jones Co, DeSoto Co, or others is gluttony at best and could be a problem for lack of workforce. It’s a tough call. For all the gripes about the Governor not caring about our poorer communities, he seems to be criticized when he tries to make them take ownership (JPS) or give them an economic hand up (Econ Devel.).
With Feel, it's all about rewarding a certain few cronies. See the state subsidized shopping center in Pearl which that big construction company maggot developed. Feel hires incompetents.
I thought Madison County's MCEDA just hired the Economic Development guru from the Gilded Triangle.
But...there's no excuse for rude behavior and vulgarity in this business, unless you're in a motel room with three other drunks who look just like you.
Have always been told that 'sour grapes makes the best whine'. Higgins has just confirmed that old saw.
MDA shouldn't be in the business of dictating where development will occur. This just asking for disaster. Meridian is a horrible place to try to locate a business. On the outside it looks great, until you realize the local powers do not want any industry to come in; that might make the current employers compete to keep their workers. Every prospect should go out to each development agency, let them put their best foot forward, and see where the chips fall.
"Higgins isn't very nice. He doesn't take time to ask about your mom and them. He thinks he's always right and always wants to get his way."
Complaints like this are a big part of what's wrong with Mississippi. Higgins' job isn't to shoot the breeze and make the rotary club smile. It's bringing businesses to the Golden Triangle.
Prosperous states reward people who get the damn job done.
And for the person above who said "Mississippi isn't going to improve until our weakest links get stronger" -- No, that's precisely the opposite of how economic development works. You focus like a laser on your strongest economic engines first ... and second, and third. The whole point is to get a few key places humming and driving growth and revenue.
We don't have the luxury of deciding that, by God, we're going to turn Tchula into into an economic powerhouse; we have to allocate resources where they're likely to produce net gains.
10:40am Well said.
Spot on 10:40 am
I wouldn't care if he talked like a sailor, he is bringing in the jobs despite the state of mississippi hampering his efforts. I am now thinking that you should have had to make payroll for at least ten years for a minimum of ten people to be qualified to run for political office. These jokers making life hard on business while taking a government check suck. They can not imagine what it takes to consistently go out in the world and bring home your own and others paycheck. They don't know that they don't know.
Thank the Lord somebody finally said it publically!! I worked at MDA and I can tell you there is a culture there where crap rises to the top. However, I would disagree that it’s about pay, though I’m making it much better in the private sector now. It’s really in essence a cultural issue, similar to that of any bureaucracy with spotty oversight and a bloated view of itself. Simply put: some folks at MDA just don’t believe that they work for communities, not the other way around. Getting to “yes” is often secondary to concerns about their own position within the organization or to some loyalty outside. Sorry Phil fans, but it only got more chaotic and worse under Bryant. Phil turned out to be a bureaucrat’s best friend despite being warned about MDA’s tendencies. To avoid conflict, he just just killed the messengers and promoted the court jesters. Hence we have the issues that Mr. Higgins has so aptly identified.
10:40 - Do you realize your opinion is in direct conflict with Mississippi's (and Bennie's) dumbass notion of 'empowerment zones'? If we don't spread the wealth (jobs) around, we're racist.
A chicken in every pot - A smokestack industry in every town!
The Golden Triangle is fortunate to have such an individual leading their economic development efforts. Ooh, he uses naughty words. Ooh, he doesn't play nice. Ooh, he doesn't subscribe to spreading the wealth around.
Great mosquito dick thinking on the part of Mississippi leadership trying to railroad progress because others can't have the same outcome.
Go ahead and chant with me, "We're number fifty! We're number fifty!"
We are number 50 on many fronts exactly because of a dysfunctional state bureaucracy. Nepotism too is a big problem. Does anyone realize that winner projects like Kior and the Port Of Gulfport were “managed” by a guy at MDA who had no prior experience other than being married to Roger Wicker’s daughter? At the same time our Senator’s other son in law was Phil’s 26-year-old “Chief” of staff. What solid accountability! So Joe Max has a good point about age and inexperience and nepotism here for sure. The adults are definitely not in the room at MDA.
Joe Max has succeeded very well - but in an envirinment where damn near anybody could. Infrastructure exists: intersection of interstate standaRd four lane with four lane; regional airport; federally funded big ditch; research university; good educated workforce. Hell, who couldn't succeed with those factors that were not the result of anything done by JMH.
MDA's job is not to direct plants to areas but to provide them the information about all, and help them locate what they are looking for. As to Higgins other bitch, I am thankful to read that all they are now wan ting to provide is funding for infrastructure (roads, water, etc) and not all the other give aways that so many commentators on this site and others are bitching about.
I agree that MDA is a mess and needs to be turned upside down and shaken out, but Joe Max is not the person to come in and try to tell how to do it. His concept of MDA's role and how it should be practiced is not one to be followed. Let his ego live on and think he is the saviour. If he has a problem with McCullough, I would think most reasonable people would have talked directly with the man himself rather than tooting his horn in the local rag.
I just wish we would have landed the ass wipe factory, dang.
11:53 Oh, my hunch is that he very much had let MDA know his feelings well prior to this press piece. Just doesn’t seem like his type of personality not to speak candidly. Unfortunately MDA has tin ears and they really don’t listen to many folks on the front lines of communities. That’s part of the problem.
Now, many of the major news/media folks have reprinted the articles. The entire country sees how disfunctional MDA is. That’s just great. The Governor still has time to hire a competent and experienced individual to rebuild the organization. Let’s see what happens.
@ Nov 20 @ 10:07 pm. YES. I know we know each other, and how I would love to buy you a drink for posting what you did. MDA IS A JOKE RIGHT NOW. Governor Bryant needs to toss Glenn and the inexperienced people he hired to make him look smarter. Mike McGrevey, Pamela Weaver, etc. MDA and the state would benefit much more without these people trying to act like they know what they are doing. They are not in their jobs to benefit MS. They are in it for pay checks. I'm glad I got out!
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