Food Processing & Manufacturing
A number of occupations in The Choctaw County Partnership labor shed have more than twice the national average of workers in proportion to population. These occupations listed below have strong national growth projections and directly related to the skill sets needed for food processors and manufacturers.
- Soil and Plant Scientist
- Conservation Scientist
- Agricultural and Food Science Technicians
- Biological Scientist
The high preponderance of these occupations are due to a major agriculture research university, Mississippi State University, being located less than 30 minutes via four lane highway access from The Choctaw County Partnership. In addition there is a large amount of agricultural lands being farmed for corn, soy beans and sweet potatoes in the region. There are multiple poultry and pork family farms in operation.
There is a large segment of the population working in the food service industry providing skills which are transferable to working in a processor or manufacturing environment.
Upholstered Furniture Manufacturing
The Choctaw County Partnership region has a large concentration and history of individuals working in the textiles industry.
- Sewing Machine Setters
- Upholsters
- Cutting and Knitting Machine Setters
- Forming Machine Setters
- Sawing Machine Setters
- Woodworking Machine Setters
All of the occupations have a higher than national average occupational presence in The Choctaw County Partnership with a growing workforce. Local mills are producing the green timbers used in furniture manufacturing throughout the Southeast region.
Construction Trades Manufacturing
The Choctaw County Partnership has a large availability of fly ash a byproduct of lignite coal used in power generation at the Red Hills Ecoplex. The availability of fly ash opens up several industry targets:
• Asphalt Paving, Roofing and Saturated Materials Manufacturing
• Brick and Structural Clay Tile Manufacturing
• Cement Manufacturing
• Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
• Concrete Pipe, Brick and Block Manufacturing
• Other Concrete Product Manufacturing
• Gypsum Product Manufacturing
The Choctaw County Partnership is home to Southeastern Timber Products LLC a large yellow pine saw mill producing a variety of board sizes used in the construction industry. The Choctaw County Partnership is working to create a building materials cluster with use of fly ash in products.
Telemarketing & Contact Centers
Office administration responsibilities will continued to be outsourced and The Choctaw County Partnership is positioned to house inbound and outbound call centers and contact centers. With the availability of fiber and high-speed internet in the area and vacant buildings along with a workforce skilled and available makes The Choctaw County Partnership a desirable location. There is a need for office and customer service jobs to balance the heavy manufacturing currently available.
Iron & Steel Pipe Manufacturing
The Choctaw County Partnership is located less than 30 miles from a large steel mill producing hot-rolled and cold-band steel, as well as floor plate, galvanized band and sheet steel, and painted sheet steel. With the existing industrial presence of steel pipe producers and proximity to raw material production, The Choctaw County Partnership is positioned to grow in this area with an available workforce.
The Choctaw County Partnership has a long history in the iron and steel pipe manufacturing industry. There is an available forging and flange facility which could be used to support industrial suppliers in this sector.
Industrial Equipment Manufacturing
The Choctaw County Partnership is home to Chambers Delimbinator who produces equipment used in the logging industry. Neighboring communities are home to large equipment manufacturer’s such as Taylor Machine Works. With the established iron and steel pipe manufacturer’s and The Choctaw County Partnership’s strategic location, in the heart of automobile and aviation industry, we are positioned to support machinery equipment manufacturers through a trained workforce and available buildings and sites.
Wood Products
The heart of the Mississippi yellow timber market is The Choctaw County Partnership. Our area is part of one of the largest softwood timber baskets in the southeastern United States. With large mills like Southeastern Timber Products and smaller hard wood mills sprinkled throughout the region, like Triple J Tie & Timber, the raw material is available and finished lumber for secondary markets.