August 28, 2017
Dear Friend,
From the factory floor to your local coffee shop, I have been traveling throughout the First Congressional District to listen to your thoughts on a wide variety of issues and to share with you what Congress has been working to accomplish. To read more of my column in today's Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, please click on the link.
comp performance group
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Manufacturers in the First District have unique needs. It is important that I understand those needs so I can ensure the environment created by the federal government allows them to continue to expand and create jobs for more Mississippians. Last week, COMP Performance Group was one of five companies we visited. COMP's Olive Branch facility is their worldwide distribution center.
COMP Performance Group is a leading manufacturer of products used by custom automotive enthusiasts and racecar drivers. Employees ship products used for all race and street performance engines to countries all over the world.
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yokohama tire manufacturing mississippi
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In October 2013, Yokohama Tire Manufacturing Mississippi, LLC. executives joined federal, state and local leaders in West Point to break ground. Two years later, I was proud to be a part of the grand opening ceremony to celebrate the company's $300 million investment in Clay County. Yokohama has grown to 470 employees.
During our tour, I talked with Yokohama executives who say the driving force behind the decision to locate to north Mississippi was the ready and available workforce, support from community colleges and universities for training, and the pro-business climate in Mississippi.
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Asics America corporation
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Hardworking Mississippians continue to attract manufacturers to the First District. Derick Tate, a supervisor at the distribution center, began working for ASICS ten years ago. He has worked his way up from a re-stocker to his current position.
It is because of people like Derick, that in 2010 ASICS America Corporation chose to locate the distribution center in the Chickasaw Trails Industrial Park in Byhalia. Since then, they have grown the Byhalia location and consolidated their footwear and apparel operations under one roof.
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| TVA Magnolia |
In 1935, the City of Tupelo became the first to get electricity through the Tennessee Valley Authority. TVA has come a long way since then by seeking a wide variety of ways to lower power bills. Currently, TVA generates electricity using a combination of nuclear, coal, hydro, wind power, and natural gas.
We toured the TVA Magnolia Combined Cycle Power Plant in Ashland which is the newest to go online with natural gas. TVA Magnolia produces enough power to sustain 519,800 homes. Keeping energy
costs down attracts more businesses and industries and creates jobs.
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| acco brands |
ACCO Brands is one of the world's largest suppliers of branded school, office, and consumer products. Bob Alley, general manager for the company's regional headquarters in Booneville, says they are proud to have products that are made in America. Every product that is made in Booneville proudly displays that fact on the box.
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ACCO Brands General Manger Bob Alley (left)
discusses the regional headquarters operation
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Since 2009, ACCO Brands has concentrated on bringing jobs back to the U.S., specifically to Booneville. We saw that firsthand during our tour of the operation. Through insourcing from China, Florida, and Manila, Philippines, ACCO Brands has brought new work and jobs to Booneville. Company decisions such as this one have enabled ACCO Brands to triple their volume and have more strategic support from their customers. We are thankful for their investment in north Mississippi.
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| a week in pictures |
For more photos from a week in pictures, please visit my Facebook page.
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Patrick Greenfield with Professional Aviation
Safety Specialists (PASS) in Hernando
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DeSoto County Realtors Corie Haynes,
Amanda Woods, and Tony Jones |
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Watching the eclipse with Town of Walls
Mayor Patti Denison |
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| Crystal Carroll at the Whistle Stop Café in Byhalia |
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| Robert Hicks with New York Life in Hernando |
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| Chuck Carroll in Houston |
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| Virginia Rowlett in Houston |
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Yokohama Tire Manufacturing Mississippi, LLC
leadership Tetsuya Kuze, Osamu Zushi,
Takahiro Mukal, and Alan Easome |
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ASICS America Corporation Planning
Director Operations Kyle Koestler |
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Derick Tate, a supervisor at ASICS
America Corporation |
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TVA Coal and Gas
Operations Vice President Allen Clare |
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| Alcorn County Supervisor Lowell Hinton |
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Norman Lademan at the American
Legion Post 6 in Corinth |
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| SuperTalk Corinth with host Bobby McDaniel |
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Mississippi Farm Bureau Meeting in Tupelo
with Tupelo Mayor Jason Shelton, Mississippi
Farm Bureau Vice President Donald
Gant, Lee County Farm Bureau President
James Gordon Robison, Mississippi State
Representative Shane Aguirre, and
Mississippi Farm Bureau staff member
Terry Norwood |
For more photos from a week in pictures, please visit my Facebook page.
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STAY IN TOUCH
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Let me know if there is anything my office can do to assist you. You can keep up with the latest news by signing up for my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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Thanks for reading,
Rep. Trent Kelly (MS-01)
Member of Congress
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