Ed Gardner – Entergy

The power to grow Mississippi

Ed Gardner — Fri, 22 Dec 2023 20:22:00 +0000

This article was updated in January 2024 to include Amazon Web Service’s announcement of a $10 billion investment in Mississippi. As the power source behind the luxuries of refrigerated food, machine-washed clothes, and television entertainment, most customers might view our service primarily from a residential perspective. However, an electric utility’s impact reaches deep into a community’s…

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Site development grants give Entergy Mississippi counties a competitive edge in recruiting industry

Ed Gardner — Thu, 24 Mar 2022 22:13:00 +0000

Five counties in Entergy Mississippi’s 45-county service area are amping up their competitiveness in attracting jobs and industry, thanks to more than $3.7 million in grants from the state. Sites in Bolivar, Adams, Warren, Madison and Rankin counties will all benefit from improvements the grant dollars will fund. The idea is to make these already-desirable sites even more so by getting them…

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Mississippi Goes for the Gold…and Wins!!

Ed Gardner — Thu, 06 Aug 2020 23:47:00 +0000

Pick up any business publication, chamber newsletter or hometown newspaper and you’re apt to see a photo of smiling people in dress clothes, holding golden shovels and standing in an empty field. It’s an iconic image, one associated with jobs, investment and growth. The golden shovel has long represented economic development. It is also the name chosen by Area Development’s annual awards program…

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Three Industrial Sites Join Entergy Mississippi’s Growing List of Qualified Sites

Ed Gardner — Mon, 13 Jul 2020 20:36:00 +0000

Congratulations to leaders in Rankin, Warren and Washington counties. They have put in the time and hard work to earn certification for sites in their industrial parks through Entergy’s Economic Development Qualified Sites Program. Why is this important? Because it means that they are ready to compete on a national level for jobs and growth, and that’s no small thing. Trying to get an industry…

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Entergy Mississippi’s Excellerator Competitive Communities Program Needed Now More than Ever

Ed Gardner — Fri, 19 Jun 2020 01:34:00 +0000

In its fourth year, the program awarded $100K-plus to nine organizations serving 16 counties Four years ago, Entergy Mississippi launched a new program designed to help level the playing field for Mississippi communities that were too often edged out of the competition when companies looked to establish or expand their businesses. Since then, the Excellerator Competitive Communities Program…

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Mississippi Counties Ready to ACT on workforce development

Ed Gardner — Fri, 13 Sep 2019 11:34:00 +0000

Like the rest of the country, Mississippi is enjoying record low unemployment. But that can be a double-edged sword. With fewer people searching for jobs, companies looking to hire often find a gap between the quality of worker they need and the quality of those who apply. Ten Mississippi counties, with support from Entergy Mississippi, are working to close that gap. Each has graduated from an…

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With a Growing National Economy, Mississippi and the Delta have Opportunities

Ed Gardner — Fri, 07 Dec 2018 21:00:00 +0000

Mississippi’s Delta has a storied history of music, food and southern hospitality, but it has also served as a backbone for successful businesses for generations. But there is room for growth. Entergy Mississippi is committed to building the region’s economy and creating a compelling environment where both businesses and residents want to locate. A critical marker for business growth in the…

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Economic Development: A Win for Entergy is a Win for Mississippi

Ed Gardner — Tue, 02 Oct 2018 21:58:00 +0000

Site Selection magazine has once again honored Entergy as a Top 10 Utility in economic development nationwide. It’s the 11th straight year we’ve received the honor, but it never gets old and we never take it for granted. After all, it’s how we grow our business and how we power life in the communities we serve. The magazine noted Entergy’s role in projects that resulted in some $4.25…

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Ten Mississippi Communities Awarded Excellerator Grants from Entergy Mississippi

Ed Gardner — Wed, 06 Jun 2018 03:44:00 +0000

Winners share some $75,000 to develop, market sites Environmental site assessments, improved product development, enhanced talent pipelines. None of this is very sexy sounding—unless you’re a company looking to establish or expand its business. Our economic development team knows what it takes to attract business and industry, and we’ve set out to ensure the state’s communities are competitive…

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Entergy Miss. Counties Increase Competitive Edge With ACT Certified Work Ready Program

Ed Gardner — Thu, 14 Sep 2017 11:00:00 +0000

As director of business and economic development for Entergy Mississippi, I’m encouraged to see communities constantly looking to improve the quality of their workforce to both benefit existing industry and to increase their competitiveness for business recruitment or expansions. A proven program is the ACT Certified Work Ready Community program. Counties throughout Mississippi are using the framework to close the skills gap. In our service area alone, 14 counties have achieved certification or are in the process.The ACT Certified Work Ready program links, aligns and matches a community’s workforce development efforts among employers, future employees and educational institutions. Through the program’s WorkKeys® assessment, counties can identify the skill level of the community’s workforce, as well as skills deficits, to then work with educators to build career pathways that are aligned to the needs of the community’s businesses. The National Career Readiness Certification is a nationally-recognized credential of essential workplace skills that enables individuals to document their readiness for a career.