Bryant stops at steel mill as part of Jobs Tour

- The Dispatch: www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=13066

Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, the Republican gubernatorial nominee, spoke at Severstal Thursday as part of his Jobs Tour, a multi-city jaunt which has led him from furniture factories to solar panel plants to chemical companies across the state.

Bryant touted the benefits of manufacturing in the state, saying that Severstal, and companies like it, benefit communities not only by their presence, but also by the ancillary companies they attract.

As part of an overall jobs creation plan, Bryant is pushing a strategy he believes will help Mississippi develop and recruit new businesses and industries. Key facets of the plan include keeping corporate taxes low, eliminating inventory tax and promoting workforce training throughout the state.

"Ronald Reagan said, ‘I think the best overall social program is a job,’" Bryant said. "Considering our economy under the Obama Administration, those words may be more true now than when Reagan said them."

Bryant’s plan has scored praise from the Mississippi Manufacturers Association, the Associated General Contractors, Associated Builders and Contractors and the Mississippi Association of Realtors and Homebuilders Association of Mississippi.

"We’re extremely pleased to support Phil Bryant for governor because of his experience in supporting existing industry and in bringing new industry to our state," said Jay Moon, president and CEO of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association. "Phil won’t be starting from scratch, and he’s worked to develop new job opportunities all over the state."

John Bass, MMA’s director of government affairs, said his organization supports Bryant because of his track record in following through on promises to cut taxes, recruit new business and industry and create a "fair legal climate" for employers.

"If Mississippi is to grow and prosper, even during a national economic downturn, we must have someone with the right experience and right ideas about how to bring more jobs and opportunities to the people of our state," Bass said.

#Mississippi #Phil #Bryant #Governor #job #growth #Severstal #MMA #AGC #ABC #MAR #HAM #Jay #Moon

Bryant attracts more key endorsements, kicks off &#145Jobs Tour’

| Phil Bryant: philbryant.com/index.php?p=630

OLIVE BRANCH – Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, the Republican gubernatorial nominee, today announced a series of endorsements from business associations that represent a broad spectrum of employment in Mississippi.

Kicking off the first of his three-day Jobs Tour across the state, Bryant also used the opportunity to detail his job-creation strategy.
“We’re extremely pleased to support Phil Bryant for Governor because of his experience in supporting existing industry and in bringing new industry to our state,” said Jay Moon, president and CEO of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association.”Phil won’t be starting from scratch, and he’s worked to develop new job opportunities all over the state.”

The Associated General Contractors (AGC) and the Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC) announced their endorsement of Bryant on Tuesday, joining the Homebuilders Association of Mississippi and the Mississippi Association of Realtors as representatives of major drivers in the state’s economy who are backing Bryant for Governor.
“The reason all five of these key pro-business groups are endorsing Phil Bryant for Governor is that we all collectively believe that Phil Bryant is the best candidate for Governor to reach the goal he has set to make Mississippi the most job-friendly state in America.”

Bryant’s job creation strategy delves into various facets that affect Mississippi’s ability to develop or recruit new businesses and industries, from a commitment to keep corporate taxes low and the elimination of a punitive inventory tax to measures to protect jobs for Mississippians and a forward-thinking push to ensure Mississippi trains it’s workforce for the jobs needed to improve every area of the state.

#Mississippi #Politics #Phil #Bryant #Governor #Endorsements #Republican #MMA #HAM #MAR #AGC #ABC

Foreclosure sales dropping in Mississippi

- Forbes.com: www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/08/25/business-us-for….html

The number of Mississippi homes being sold in some stage of foreclosure has dropped sharply over the past year.

Irvine, Calif.-based RealtyTrac said 99 foreclosed homes were sold in the state in the April-through-June period at an average price of $145,331. That represented a 20.7 percent discount from homes that were not in foreclosure and 9.5 percent of all second-quarter home sales in Mississippi.

RealtyTrac said the number of foreclosed homes sold in the second quarter in Mississippi rose 4.2 percent from the first quarter of 2011, but fell nearly 42 percent from the second quarter of 2010.

Nationally, the second quarter saw 265,087 foreclosure sales at an average price of $164,217. That represented a 32 percent discount and accounted for 31 percent of all U.S. home sales.

In some regards, the avalanche of housing foreclosure has bypassed Mississippi: the state’s total of 99 second-quarter foreclosure sales was the lowest except for Maine, which had 91.

Watkins Wild, president-elect of the Mississippi Association of Realtors, said the group doesn’t have statewide statistics on how foreclosures are affecting the overall market. But the McComb-based Wild said housing inventories in his five-county region of southwestern Mississippi dropped 9 percent over the first six months from a year ago, mostly in the range of homes selling from $225,000 to $300,000.

#Mississippi #Foreclosures #Real #Estate #Economy #Mississippi #Association #of #Realtors #MAR #Watkins #Wild