 Mississippi succeeding on job front
By U.S. Senator Trent Lott
Guest Columnist
Published March 8, 2005.
Reprinted with permission of the Rankin Ledger
I've said many times that when the rest of the nation looks at Mississippi, I'd like for them to see a state looking toward the future - a state whose unofficial motto is "open for business" - a place where companies seeking to expand will find local governments and the private sector actively marketing Mississippi and willing to work with them to help bring jobs here. Well, this is precisely what's happening, and developments of recent weeks show it. Mississippi has proven itself capable of marketing itself and securing and sustaining good-paying, skilled jobs.
Last week I joined Rolls-Royce to announce that this storied British company will relocate its engine testing facility from its native England to Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. This is the first time Rolls-Royce will be doing this sort of work outside the United Kingdom. Rolls-Royce is popularly known for its luxury cars, but aerospace and marine engines are where this nameplate's true commitment and reputation have developed.
But, that's not all. I also was pleased to join Northrop Grumman and the Jackson County Economic Development Foundation to announce that this top aerospace and shipbuilding company has decided to build the Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle in Mississippi. This unmanned fixed-wing aircraft can fly long-range missions throughout the globe. It's complemented by a unmanned helicopter called Fire Scout which Northrop Grumman committed to build in Mississippi last year at a facility being constructed in Moss Point.
The decision by Northrop Grumman to add the Global Hawk assembly to the mix means about 100 new jobs beyond the 40 initially announced with Fire Scout last year. This project, coupled with Rolls-Royce's commitments, and earlier ones such as Columbus' Eurocopter manned helicopter manufacturing facility announced last year and Lockheed Martin's facilities in Meridian and in Hancock County, have put Mississippi on the map for aerospace jobs and specifically a leading center for UAV production.
In addition to new commitments from Northrop Grumman and Rolls-Royce, our existing high-tech facilities continue to do well. I also was fortunate to be with workers at Raytheon's Forest, Mississippi, facility last week, celebrating two milestone's in their history. For 56 straight months, Raytheon has delivered the EPLRS (Enhanced Position Location and Reporting System) radio to our troops on time and on budget. Twelve thousand of these devices have been made at Forest, and our troops in the field both love and depend on EPLRS.
Rolls-Royce, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Eurocopter, Lockheed-Martin, and Nissan all are world leaders in their field who've recently put world-class jobs right here in Mississippi
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