Jackson Jambalaya

Some of this wording could indicate he got himself into the type of issue men can get themselves into occasionally. He's now paid his penance. It would be great to get him in Jackson. He's immensely talented.

2024 990 filing shows a Joe Max Higgins with Part VII Section A Column D Reportable Compensation (W2/1099-MISC/1099NEC) from The Golden Triangle Development Link of $503,828 and Column F Estimated amount of other compensation from the organization and related organizations of $84,535.

SEEMS LIKE NICE WELL PAID WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT!

Yeah well if you earn it, no problem. He brought in $10 billion in economic development to that area. Transformed it into an economic powerhouse. Half a million for ten billion? That's called a nice return on an investment.

Seems he plans to give his version of what happened later this week on Supertalk Mississippi.

That should be interesting for Danm sure !

^^ Right there.

Maybe he stated an unspeakable truth that anyone that can look at statistics understands to be true. Facts hurt feelings and I can definitely see an economic developer explaining to someone one of the reasons some parts of the state are devoid of any sane investor not backstopped by taxpayer funding.

He did well but sounds like he got too big for his britches….

"He brought in $10 billion in economic development to that area."

Please provide at least some more detail. I'm not suggesting he didn't bring anything into the area nor am I disputing that he "brought in $10 billion..." I'm simply asking you (or anyone else) to put some specifics to the claim, which is also made by his former employer. If the amount is accurate and it can be substantiated that he was solely or largely responsible for such an influx, that's one thing. If it cannot be, that's another. If the amount is inflated, regardless of who did what, that's yet another. I'm just asking for specifics so those interested can decide for themselves.

@9:26pm JFGI

The fellow always took full credit for other’s success, sharply and publicly criticized anyone who dare not do as he told them to do, and frequently attacked those in position to help him. The community overlooked those qualities due to his success and their fear of him. He finally got far enough out of line (I can only imagine how far, given what he’s gotten away with for years) the community had to act. Thursday morning radio: will he show? Will he be contrite? Will it be a bloodbath for everyone who dared to fire the Golden Triangle’s Savior? Will be entertaining for sure!

Just listen to the recording to a worker before you judge!

Take a look at the Link website and the board members. Some of them are big ego w/little results. Even the super liberal Mayor of Starkville is calling for them to reverse this decision.

Every time I heard him speak I wondered how people worked with him. JMHO

"@9:26pm JFGI "

Well, it's not that simple, smart-ass. Like the "data center deals" and all manner of other "development deal" claims, you can find examples of people making claims about billions of dollars, but what you cannot find is ANY hard-numbers support for or even just information about ANY of these claims. And that's a problem for any reasonable analysis, or even reasonable opinion-forming. What is widely known is that with nearly all things like this, politicians and supporters of whatever project frequently tout numbers that wildly misrepresent what those touting them lead people to believe they mean.

Maybe Higgins has brought $10 billion in reasonably-supportable "investment" to the Triangle. But LINK touting that number - prior to his firing as the "head tout" - is not really proof of anything. On the other hand, inflated claims by non-LINK-connected people about non-LINK projects doesn't mean LINK's claims are inflated.

The bottom line is that the actual numbers on ANY of these "development projects" is rarely if ever "Google-able." And that's a whole 'nuther problem on several levels.

Geez...money isn't just everything, it's the only thing. No need to play by the rules. Rules and laws are for suckers! Who wants to live in a civilized society?

Anybody in Columbus remember the worthless economic development organization called CLEDA in the days before Joe Max?

Government "economic developers" are generally just over rated con artists who use fuzzy math and numbers to blow their own whistle. And the dumb ass public falls for it.

I worked with Higgins on some of the early projects at the GT industrial park. When it comes to wrangling the various people and agencies to bring an industrial deal together, this guy is everything that he is touted to be. The proverbial force of nature. He convinced the landowners to work together and all accept the same deal, so no Imminent Domain necessary. He convinced the MDA, the MDEQ, the IHL, the legislature, the governor, and the Corp of Engineers to work together - quickly and confidentially. He wrangled engineers, surveyors, the TVA, and local utilities to provide the necessary information. Did he work alone? Of course not. Back then, he was more like a conductor of a large orchestra composed of soloists who don't really like each other and hate playing together. I first worked with him on SeverCorr (the steel mill. Don't know what it's called now.) followed by several others, including some that never came to fruition. I don't know what he has done, but I expect that he will make the necessary personal changes to solve his problem. That's what he does: solve problems and accomplish the goal.

@8:40 I do not remember CLEDA. No one does. They never accomplished anything worth remembering.

AI is such a useful "tool" "@9:26 and 7:28"

Key Investments

Steel Dynamics (formerly Severstal/SteelCorr): Initial steel mill investment of approximately $930 million announced in 2005, operational in 2007 (Lowndes County). Acquired by Steel Dynamics in 2014, with cumulative investments in the steel recycling and flat-rolled operations reaching nearly $3 billion by the early 2020s. Major expansion announced in November 2022: $2.5 billion for a low-carbon aluminum flat-rolled mill and biocarbon facility in the Golden Triangle Industrial Park (Lowndes County), put into service phases starting in 2023–2025.
Yokohama Tire: Initial $300 million investment announced in 2013 for a tire manufacturing plant in West Point (Clay County), operational in 2015. Cumulative expansions (including phases in 2017 and beyond) brought the total to over $1.2 billion by the mid-2020s.
PACCAR: $400 million investment announced in 2010 for an engine manufacturing plant in Columbus (Lowndes County), operational in 2013.
Airbus Helicopters (formerly American Eurocopter): Initial $25 million investment announced in 2003–2004 for a helicopter assembly facility in Columbus (Lowndes County), operational in 2004. Expansions, including a $20 million addition in 2010, brought cumulative investments to over $100 million by the 2020s.
Stark Aerospace (Israel Aerospace Industries subsidiary): $12 million initial investment announced in 2004 for a defense and aerospace facility in Columbus (Lowndes County), operational in 2005. Recent contract-related expansions, including a $61 million U.S. Navy deal announced in 2024–2025, have supported additional infrastructure without specified new capital amounts.
Aurora Flight Sciences (Boeing subsidiary): $14 million initial investment announced in 2005 for a UAV manufacturing plant in Columbus (Lowndes County), operational in 2006. Expanded with $30 million in 2008, contributing to Boeing's broader presence in the region.
Peco Foods: $40 million investment announced in 2011 for a poultry processing facility in West Point (Clay County), operational in 2012.
Altex Tube: $110 million investment announced in 2022 for a manufacturing facility (Lowndes County), operational phases in 2023.
Terberg Taylor Americas Group: $15.9 million investment announced in 2022 for operations in the region.
Camgian Corporation: $2.5 million expansion announced in 2025 for AI and software operations in Starkville (Oktibbeha County).
Fabricators Supply: $2.675 million expansion announced in 2025 for metal fabrication in West Point (Clay County).

These projects, along with numerous smaller expansions and reinvestments from existing industries, account for the $10 billion total. The region's focus on megasites (five developed under Higgins, including the recent "Cinco" site) continues to position it for future growth.

Golden Triangle is mostly filled with government contract suppliers. It’s a big circle jerk of corporate welfare paid by Uncle Sugar in DC. But it gives the workers a little more pride than if they were working in a CCC camp.
Golden Triangle is a perfect example of when Obama said “You didn’t do that, the government did that” same as when he funded the Kemper County “clean coal” boondoggle. He had Mississippi bitter clingers (with their hands out) on his mind. That “green” data center is coming to Brandon because Obama funded a huge solar farm out in Rankin County. The green data center is going to leverage that solar farm in their marketing.

"AI is such a useful 'tool' '@9:26 and 7:28'

Key Investments

Steel Dynamics (formerly Severstal/SteelCorr): Initial steel mill investment of approximately $930 million announced in 2005, operational in 2007 (Lowndes County). Acquired by Steel Dynamics in 2014, with cumulative investments in the steel recycling and flat-rolled operations reaching nearly $3 billion by the early 2020s. Major expansion announced in November 2022: $2.5 billion for a low-carbon aluminum flat-rolled mill and biocarbon facility in the Golden Triangle Industrial Park (Lowndes County), put into service phases starting in 2023–2025." (and more similarly unsupported claims of "investments.")

All that CnP does nothing but prove my points (as well as pointing out the uselessness of "Googling it," especially using "AI."). AI managed to find some of the very press releases and unsupported claims that I called out.

OK, look at it like this: I think reasonable people can agree that $10 billion in actual cash did not flow into the Triangle during Higgins' tenure, so anyone implying that it did is, at best, stretching the truth. I also think reasonable people can agree that SOME amount of dollars did flow into it, so any accusation that Higgins/LINK accomplished nothing is also, at best, stretching the truth. The problem is that no one is providing a supportable number and backing it up with actual data.

If Acme Corp buys $5 billion of widget-makers from some out-of-state supplier, that is (probably) a capex "investment" by Acme, but it does not bring $5 billion or anything close to it to the location Acme happens to install that "investment." Moreover, Acme decided to open a plant and to buy that equipment, from that maker, regardless of where the plant happens to be located. It wasn't looking for assistance with that part of its investment, it was looking for a location for a plant (and was seeking "incentives" to locate it). That capex portion of the "investment" cannot be attributed to those in the region who secured ONLY the decision by Acme to locate there rather than elsewhere. And since "the region" provided incentives to Acme, the incentives costs need to be calculated into the total NET gain/return to the region.

Now, the plant itself brings some number of jobs into region where the plant is located, so that brings some amount of money into that region. So how much? There may or may not be taxes paid, so what's the net there (as above, after the costs of incentives, if any, are figured in).

The construction of the plant itself brought some amount of money into the region, but like the equipment, even if all the materials were purchased from regional/same-state vendors (and that's possible but unlikely), 100% of those materials, tools used, etc., did not wholly originate in the region/same state, so building - "investing in" - a $500 million dollar plant does not bring $500 million into the region of that plant. It brings some amount, just not the full $500 million cost of the plant. So, how much?

Without at least some breakdown, even in general categories, with actual numbers, claims of "$billion/million 'investments'" is nothing but misleading information. It is frequently so misleading as to be total bullshit. And when the (mis)information about the "investment" is bullshit, folks are safer - not safe, just safer - in assuming the whole deal - the "investment" - is bullshit, at least from their local perspective.