Copiah County Builds Momentum with New Businesses and Expanding Opportunities

By Bob Arnold

            Ask Copiah County Economic Development District (CCEDD) Executive Director Arthur Lee (Pokey) Evans about his work in the past year and what he foresees in the coming year, and he points to one simple measure of his work:  jobs.

            “For me, economic development is not about recruiting a big or small business or a particular type of business, but the job opportunities in Copiah County,” Evans says.  “My mission is jobs.  On that basis, I would say we’re okay.  Our unemployment rate has hovered around three to four percent.  For a workforce that is ready and willing to do the jobs employers want them to do, the opportunities are available.  Things are good now, and we’re looking for tomorrow to be better because of many small things and maybe a big thing happening.”

            There was no one big economic development win during 2025 in Copiah County, but a number of small successes that assured the job opportunities, he says.

            Perhaps the biggest of the small things that happened:  “We maintained our existing jobs,” Evans says.  “Our major industries – forestry and timber, trucking, warehousing and poultry – continued to perform well and provide the jobs that made that happen.”

            Then there were several other small strides that will grow jobs throughout the county:

• In spite of a few issues in Hazlehurst that delayed its opening for business, Bell Lumber & Pole, which will use the area’s abundant wood supply to produce utility poles to electrical lines and other industry uses, started construction of a new facility near the LC Industries old lumber yard.

  
  

• Copiah County Medical Center CCMC opened Copiah County Medical Plaza, a state-of-the-art facility next to the medical center at Hazlehurst that houses CCMC’s medical records department, an expanded specialty clinic; physical, occupational and speech therapy services, and new locations for City Drugs, Total Pain Care and Hazlehurst Clinic.

  
  

• A modern convenience store on Highway 27 North at Crystal Springs.

  
  

• Steam Punk, a customized metal fabricator near Interstate 55 at Martinsville.

  
  

• A mini shopping plaza on Highway 51 South at Wesson.

During 2026, Evans is looking forward to demonstrating to companies near and far that Copiah County is “Open for Business” through “marketing efforts that are being taken to the next level” by Wesson-based marketing consultant Jessica Breazeale who has redesigned the CCEDD website and created ads for web-based social media, including Google and Facebook.  The county’s economic selling points coupled with how they are being communicated, he believes, mean good things are in store during the coming year:

• A workforce that is willing and ready to serve employers thanks to local school

  and a community college that focuses on preparing workers; and career coaches

  and retired persons with workforce experience, who counsel students, introduce

  them to the business world through field trips and other activities and guide them

  in making career decisions and identifying training opportunities.

• A location near key markets with rail, interstate, air and nearby water access.

• Government officials who understand business needs, provide incentives,

  and facilitate locating offices buildings.

• Available land and buildings that are well-priced.

Already at the start of the year, two companies in the CCEDD industrial park at Gallman are expanding and creating new jobs, Evans says.

Evans says CCEDD economic development work is a team effort and praises his office colleague Brenda Harper, the organization’s board and the Copiah County Supervisors for their support and assistance in telling the county’s story

Contact Evans for information at 601-421-1249.