Even during these tough economic times, key industries of Harrison County continue to flourish, and United States Marine, Inc. (USMI) is a powerful example. The full-service boat manufacturer in Gulfport, Miss. recently received a $61.5 million contract over the next four years to construct boats for the country of Kuwait.
This summer the Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center in Biloxi, Miss. will complete a $57 million expansion of its convention center, adding more than 200,000 square feet of flexible meeting and exhibition space to the existing 180,000 square feet.
Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss. recently hosted the 2009 Conseil International du Sport Militaire (CISM) Women’s Soccer Championship from June 6 through June 13. The event brought teams from seven nations to the Mississippi Gulf Coast to compete in the 10-day soccer championship.
Drace Construction Corp., a 2008 graduate of The Innovation Center small business incubator in Harrison County, Mississippi, recently received a $7.5 million contract for the 25th Naval Construction Regiment (NCR) headquarters building at the Gulfport Naval Construction Battalion Command location. The project, which is Drace’s largest to date, includes design, site development and construction services for the new headquarters building. The building will eventually house the 25th NCR.
The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) School of Construction and the Department of Economic and Workforce Development have received a $50,000 grant from the Mississippi Department of Transportation to begin developing a new interdisciplinary graduate program to teach the advanced skills needed to address the challenges and opportunities created by global trade. A letter from Governor Haley Barbour to USM President Martha Saunders stated that a graduate program in logistics, trade and transportation would “be a great fit with the redevelopment of the Port of Gulfport and the opening of the Panama Canal in 2015 or 2016.”
William Carey University (WCU) will soon open its new Gulf Coast campus at Tradition, a master-planned community located on Highway 67 in South Mississippi. This fall, the new campus will serve approximately 750 students. As construction continues over the next 10 years, the campus will grow to serve 3,000 students.
Paula Lindsay of Pass Christian, Mississippi started making soap at her home in 2001. Today, she is distributing it across the country and has been featured on Good Morning America, in national publications, and as part of the 2009 Grammy gift bags. Her road to success has not been an easy one, but she has come full circle – back home to South Mississippi, where it all started.
Governor Haley Barbour named Gulfport companies United States Marine, Inc. and Metal Tech, Inc. the South district winners of the esteemed Governor’s Cup.
The list is impressive: A shoulder-mounted system that detects the location of snipers; a device that checks for explosives at airports; a system that makes supply drops more accurate. There are more products, including some the company can’t talk about.
The University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL) in Ocean Springs, Miss., is investing heavily in innovation, technology and facilities for environmentally and economically sustainable marine aquaculture.
Salute to the Military 2011 |
Community Profile 2009 |
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