Got a couple of updates a lot of you have been waiting for: Wingstop and Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

First, Wingstop is opening Wednesday at 11 a.m. 

That’s the official word from the restaurant, which is at the corner of Thomas and West Main streets. The full address is 2590 W. Main St. The phone is (662) 260-4922. It’s open daily from 11 a.m. to midnight.

The restaurant serves boneless and classic wings, of course, with 10 different flavors. Chicken strips, and glider sandwiches also are available, along with sides like bourbon-baked beans, cole slaw and potato salad.

And Wingstop has seasoned fries, along with cheese fries.

Next, an update on Five Guys. 

I dropped by the site in the King’s Crossing shopping center (where Kohl’s, Newk’s, Gigi’s Cupcakes, Kirkland’s, Mt. Fuji, etc. are located), and a construction crew was busy inside.

A gentleman with the construction company said they were working to get it ready by July 14, which goes along with the timeline the franchise owner told us back in April. 

Jed Heubach of Eat Here Brands of Jackson, which owns the franchise rights, said the store will cover 2,400 square feet and seat 75-80. It will employ about 50 to start.

Job applicants can go to the company’s website for employment info.

“We plan to open by the end of the summer,” he said in April.

Exactly six weeks after the April 28 tornado roared through Tupelo, the Courtyard by Marriott hotel

The 93-room Courtyard by Marriott on North Gloster Street in Tupelo reopened Monday, six weeks after damage from an EF-3 tornado forced it to close.

reopened on Monday.

While the 93-room property didn’t suffer any structural damage, from the tornado the central portion of the building took some wind and water damage as the winds tore the huge marquee off the building and ripped away parts of the roof.

The approximately 30 employees of the hotel have helped clean the hotel from top to bottom and they also helped clean up outside. Separate construction crews, of course, took care of building reconstruction.

The hotel had its first guest check in yesterday, and last night, more guests arrived. 

It was a better-than-expected turnout, considering the hotel still doesn’t have a sign and few lights in the parking lot and drive way.

Employees like Chelsey Rodgers helped clean the hotel’s interior and exterior while repairs were made.

“We did all right, considering it’s kind of hard to see us, and unless  you know what a Courtyard looks ike, you could drive past,” said general manager Scott Suenaga. “But we’re looking strong for reservations tonight and we’re getting more looking ahead.”

Neal McCoy, executive director of the Tupelo Convention and Visitors Bureau, said getting back Courtyard’s rooms was important.

“First, you’ve got people who are going back to work, and now you have those rooms back in the inventory that we haven’t had in six weeks,” he said.

Two other hotels, the Comfort Suites and Sleep Inn, are all but totaled and must be rebuilt, but there’s no word on when that might happen.

McCoy said having the Courtyard back is good timing, as Tupelo is set to host a state baseball tournament next week, with up to 70 teams participating. About 40-50 teams will be staying overnight during the four-day tournament.

Read more about the Courtyard’s return in Wednesday’s Daily Journal.

It’s still two months away, but the fall Tupelo Furniture Market is attracting interest from more top buyers across the nation, officials said. They expect 10,000 to 15,000 to preregister for the fall show, which is Aug.  14-17. 

Here’s what the market says:

“Top furniture retailers from throughout the United States are committing early to the Tupelo Furniture Market.  Representatives from top national chains including Steinhafels, Art Van Company, Farmers Home Furniture, Badcock Home Furniture, Standard Furniture, Weekends Only, Gardner White Furniture Co., The Buying Giant, Rooms To Go, Boscov’s Department Store, FFO Home, Royal Furniture Co., HOBO, Stash and many, many more  have already registered for the event.  In addition, many top producers representing states from the south, southeast, west and mid-west will be attending the Tupelo Furniture Market for the first time.

“In recent years we have made a concerted effort to build a quality database of past participants in the Tupelo market, and we have added thousands of new prospects that we believe should attend the event,” said Kevin Seddon, president of the Tupelo Furniture Market.  “The information we have gathered allows us to segment the databases and develop packages that best meet the targeted retailers’ needs.  In addition, we have expanded our staff of Buyer Recruitment Specialists and in the months preceding the Tupelo market, we will have as many as ten specialists reaching out to furniture retailers.”

According to Seddon, the Buyer Recruitment Specialists are not just telemarketers, but rather experienced sales personnel that understand the target retailers’ needs and are fully versed in what the market has to offer those that attend.

It seems the result of the market’s recent efforts has already had a major impact on registration for the upcoming furniture trade show which is being held August 14-17, 2014.  For example, the number of retailers that would be considered high-volume producers within their respective states has increased dramatically over previous years.

More than 400 high-volume “state” furniture and furniture accessory retailers, corporate housing buyers, rent-to-own buyers, décor specialists and other leading buyers have already registered for the August rendition of the Tupelo Furniture Market.  Leading producers from 25 states have registered for the event including representatives from every state in the southeast.  Additionally, Texas, Indiana, Kansas, California, New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Maryland, North Carolina and even Virginia will have top buyers in attendance.

“Thus far, furniture buyers from 35 states and several other countries have registered to attend the market,” said Adam Cleveland, the company’s Chief Operating Officer.  “Close to 300 are registering each day and we expect this to continue for the next 2 ½ months.  We anticipate between 10,000 and 15,000 retailers will pre-register for the August event.  Of course, not every retailer that pre-registers will always attend, so our focus now is two-fold.  First, continue to market to those that have not yet registered.  Second, “re-market” to those that have committed and keep them informed about new companies, products and programs that will be made available to them – but only if they show up.”

There are health food stores, but no health food restaurants in Tupelo. Until now.

Frutalicous opened a week ago in downtown Tupelo, at 111 N. Spring St., Suite 1 (across from Sprint Print)

It’s open Monday-Friday 9 to 7,  but it is closed from 2 to 4 in the afternoon. 

So what does it serve? To start, fresh fruit waters and fruit cocktails are the signature items. And it’s exactly what it sounds – fresh fruit is mixed with cold water. All natural, no artificial ingredients. The restaurant also serves food items like ham and turkey wraps, fruit salads and some breakfast items. You can get a wrap at any time.

Owners Arizbeth and Rocky Pickering plan to add smoothies to the menu later, and you also can bring your own protein and they’ll mix it into your drink. They’ll be introducing green smoothies, made with green leafy vegetables, along with a little fruit.

The phone number is (662) 401-2427

The Mississippi Hills Heritage Area Alliance (MHHAA) will hold its quarterly board of directors meeting on Tuesday in Tupelo at the Mississippi Hills Exhibit Center inside the Renasant Center for IDEAs. The meeting begins at 10:30 am and is open to the public. 

Natchez Trace Parkway Superintendent Mary Risser will meet with the group for the first time since assuming her duties earlier this year as head of the 444-mile Federal route.

In conjunction with the board meeting, a professional development session will be held from 1-3 p.m. in the Exhibit Center and will center around the state’s “Creative Economy” as well as creating new community and regional partnerships. The session is also open to the public, especially those interested in historic preservation, community development, regional tourism and Mississippi Hills culture and heritage.

Panelists for the session include Alan Henderson, Program Manager for the state’s “Creative Economy” initiative; Sarah Pittman, Project Manager for the Mississippi State University Extension Center for Technology Outreach; Ted Ownby, Director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at Ole Miss and Mickey Howley, Director of the Water Valley Main Street program.

MHHAA president Kim Terrell, executive director of the Desoto County CVB, said “We are delighted to have Superintendent Risser speak to our board and look forward to our development session also.  Our panel is an outstanding group of professionals who have done many innovative things for their respective organizations and know we will gain a great deal from their experience and expertise.”

The Alliance is charged with the responsibility of managing the Hills National Heritage Area (NHA) which includes all or parts of 30 counties in the Northern part of the state. The Hills NHA is one of 49 such areas which have been approved by Congress.

For additional information about Mississippi Hills contact Kent Bain at 662-844-1276 or by email at kentbain@mississippihills.org

Premium Productions of Tupelo, a multi-media production firm, has been awarded the Silver Telly Award for its work on the United Way of Northeast Mississippi‘s 2013 “Working Together” promotional video.

The Silver Telly is considered one of the country’s highest and most prestigious video production awards.

Premium Productions, founded in 2011 and owned by Allen Pegues, won the Silver Telly Award in the Commercial category. Premium also won the Bronze Telly in the Public Service category United Way of Northeast Mississippi video.

Premium Productions was selected out of nearly 12,000 entries from all 50 states and five continents.

“This is truly an honor for our work to be chosen for first place and recognized by the Telly Awards out of all the other participants,” Pegues said in a press release. “This project was a team effort and we are very thankful”

The United Way production was just one of several public service promotional pieces, Premium developed in 2013. Another highlight of the company’s work is a 10-minute promotional video created for the Tupelo Police Department.

Southern Living‘s Erin Shaw Street wrote the “10 Reasons to Visit Tupelo Now,” and if you haven’t read it, you should.

The 10 reasons are places she visited – restaurants and stores dominate the list, and we know them all well. And, of course, Elvis’ birthplace is on it.

We’ll give Southern Living and Ms. Street the courtesy and not post the list here, so go visit her post here.

But here is the opening to her post:

We’ll let you in on a little secret: Tupelo is getting seriously cool. Yes, the city is known for being Elvis’ birthplace and mighty proud of this fact (as it should be). But on a recent trip we absolutely fell in love with this small Mississippi town, for its legends and its new energy. … Tupelo tells the story of so many Southern cities–one being transformed by its native residents, many of whom moved away, only to come back to plant roots in their hometown.

One of the biggest unanswered questions after the April 28 tornado is, “When will Vanelli’s reopen?”

Vanelli’s, pre-tornado

Owner vOz Vanelli has indicated in the past few weeks that he plans to rebuild, and in the past few days, he’s reinforced those thought

How, when and where aren’t quite set in stone – Vanelli still is waiting to settle with insurers – but on Facebook and on the restaurant’s website, Vanelli all but confirms he’ll be back.

The website, for example, asks for visitors to vote for their favorite appetizers, pasta dishes, pizza and salads.

“We’re rebuilding! And that’s hard work,” the site says. “As we come back, we’d like you to help us by taking a series of polls on the right to tell us what you’d like to see on the menu.”

And on Facebook, Vanelli posted this after someone asked about its return:

Hello Friends … I really do appreciate all the interest in Vanelli’s future plans; I am deeply honored. I have not sold the property on N Gloster although I’ve had several offers. As of now I am intending on rebuilding, just waiting on the Insurance to settle. I am not at liberty nor do I exactly know when or in what context Vanelli’s will emerge, but know this. I do intend on reopening. I am honored by all the kindnesses shown to my employees’ and me. Thank you all for the positive interest in Vanelli’s Returning. If you have the time, keep up with the Vanellis website for the most current information and please participate in the surveys posted. Feel free to email or call me whenever you like, it would be nice to visit with you. My intention is to make Vanelli’s better then ever and need your input to do that… Peace / vOz

General Atomics, the San Diego-based defense contractor, has expanded its facility in Lee County eight times since opening in the Tupelo Lee Industrial Park South 10 years ago.

Scott Forney, the company’s senior vice president who also heads its electromagnetic systems division, said that wouldn’t have happened without the work of Mississippi’s congressional delegation, including Sen. Roger Wicker and Rep. Alan Nunnelee, and led by Sen. Thad Cochran.

Business and community leaders gathered Thursday morning at Tupelo City Hall to express their support for Sen. Thad Cochran.

“More than $1 billion has flowed through Tupelo in the last five years because of Cochran’s leadership,” said Forney, alluding to the value of the contracts, salaries and related  work done at General Atomics.

Cochran is in a pitched Republican runoff battle with state senator Chris McDaniel, whose seeking to oust the six-term incumbent. The vote is Tuesday, with the winner facing Democrat Travis Childers in November.

This morning on the steps of Tupelo City Hall, business leaders like Forney made their pitch for Cochran, citing his experience and leadership.

General Atomics has developed the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, or EMALS, which is being installed in the new U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier. GA also has developed the arresting gear for the planes, and is also developing a rail gun system. The company’s systems also will be installed in the next carrier, the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy.

General Atomics employs 120 people in lee County and should reach 150 soon. Forney said during the recession, the company endured a difficult period from 2008-2009, but Sen. Cochran, along with other state leaders, helped ensure that the company would continue to operate.

Brian Hawkins, CEO of Hawkeye Industries in Tupelo, is a former president of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association. His defense industry-related work also is tied to the machinations in Washington, and Hawkins said having an experienced leader there is important for thousands of people in Mississippi.

“It’s just a no-brainer,” said Hawkins, who employs 28 people.

“People need to understand that the office of a senator is more than one person. You have an experienced, well-educated and informed staff,  led by a senator. … that’s who we need to keep in Washington.”

Understandably, Hawkins and Forney fear that Tea Party-backed candidates like McDaniel will continue to cut budgets indiscriminately in their zeal to cut costs no matter the consequences.

Hawkins said now is the wrong time to do that.

“Look what cutting defense has gotten us the past few years,” he said. “If anything, we need to ensure a stronger defense, and it takes senior leadership like Sen. Cochran to ensure that.”

Read more in Friday’s Daily Journal.

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Several Northeast Mississippi Main Street associations won awards today at the 25th annual Mississippi Main Street annual luncheon.

The Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association won two awards.

DTMSA won the Best Creative Fundraising Project with its Feast for the Farmers event. Feast for the Farmers is held on the Friday prior to the official opening of the Farmers Market, and is its only fundraiser of the year.

DTMSA also won Best Image or Branding Promotion with its “American Rhythm, True Southern Spirit” campaign. Click here to see it.

Other Northeast Mississippi Main Street organizations also won awards, including:

• Greater Starkville Development Partnership: Best New Signage, for its Starkville wayfaring signage; and Best New Development Project, for Renasant Bank
• Water Valley Main Street: Best Adaptive Re-Use Project, for the Crawdad Hole Jr. and Main Street Merchant of the Year, Alexe Van Buren
• Pontotoc County Main Street: Best Public-Private Partnership Project, for its Off the Square Market
• Spirit of Main Street: Lawson Grimes, Aberdeen Main Street
• Spirit of Main Street: Mike Bryan, Amory Main Street
• Spirit of Main Street: Nancy Kidd, New Albany Main Street
• Main Street Manager of the Year: Ellen Russell, Pontotoc County Main Street

Here’s an update to some business news we first told you about last month:

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit is looking to open in mid-July. 

Said franchise owner Jason Ellis in an email, “We are well into construction and expect to be open for business the second or third week of July.  We are accepting applications at the store, two billboards are going up next week (one south of Eason Blvd and one north of Hwy 45 in Saltillo) and one digital ad beginning July 1 at Barnes Crossing.  We are very excited to begin serving Tupelo with the great barbecue and service that Dickey’s is known for.”

Dickey’s will be in the Shops at Barnes Crossing on North Gloster Street, which is home to Margarita’s Mexican Grill,  Bed Bath and Beyond, David’s Bridal/Men’s Wearhouse and Dollar Tree.

Dickey’s will go in the northeast corner of the building, adjacent to the “tower” where Southern Bath and Kitchen used to be.

Back in January, we told you that Bargain Hunt Superstore was hiring a manager for a store in Tupelo. But we never heard from the company regarding its plans. Last week, the store posted openings for the store.

The Tupelo Bargain Hunt Superstore is going to be built in Tupelo Commons.

And Biz Buzz has discovered where it’s going.

There’s been a lot of speculation about all that dirt work at Tupelo Commons – where Best Buy, Ashley Furniture HomeStores, Hancock Fabrics, etc. and the Malco Theater are located… We can tell you that the spot to the northeast of Kyoto at the end of the shopping plaza is where Bargain Hunt is going, according to plans filed with the city’s Development Services.

We still don’t know when it opens or how many people it will employ, but we’ll try contacting them again.

Tupelo-based BancorpSouth Inc. has selected Chris A. Bagley as the next President and Chief Operating Officer of BancorpSouth Inc. and BancorpSouth Bank.

Chris Bagley

Bagley will succeed James V. Kelley upon his previously announced retirement on Aug. 15.

Kelley has been BancorpSouth’s President and Chief Operating Officer since the company’s merger with First United Bancshares Inc. in 2000.  Before the merger, Kelley was Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of First United Bancshares in El Dorado, Arkansas.

Chris Bagley, who joined BancorpSouth earlier this year as an Executive Vice President, was previously a named executive officer and Chief Credit Officer of Prosperity Bancshares, Inc. in Houston, Texas.

“Chris provides proven leadership and broad-based banking experience to our Company in his new role as President and Chief Operating Officer,” commented BancorpSouth Chairman and CEO Dan Rollins.  “Chris and Jim Kelley are working together to assure a seamless transition with Jim’s pending retirement in August.  We appreciate Jim’s 14 years of dedicated service and leadership to BancorpSouth, and acknowledge his many contributions to our success. We wish him well in his retirement.”

Chris Bagley has over 31 years of experience in commercial banking.  He has served as a named executive officer at a publicly traded financial holding company, where he served on the 7 person executive committee which directed and oversaw all bank lending and operations.  During his career, he has also served as a regional loan concurrence officer, a voting member of the senior loan committee, member of the operations and BSA risk committee(s), and was the lending liaison for the fair lending component of compliance exams. He has also served as a member of the board of directors for a publicly traded financial holding company.

Before joining Prosperity Bank, he worked at both Texas Commerce Bank as a commercial lender and Bank of Almeda where he served in various key roles including, Internal Auditor, Compliance Officer, commercial lender, and ultimately as the as the bank’s Chief Lending Officer as well as serving on the bank and holding company board of directors.

Bagley received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Stephen F. Austin State University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Houston.  He presently serves as an advisory board member of the University of Houston banking certificate program through the Bauer College of Business.

BancorpSouth, Inc. is a financial holding company headquartered in Tupelo with approximately $13.1 billion in assets.  BancorpSouth Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BancorpSouth, Inc., operates 295 commercial banking, mortgage, and insurance locations in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas, including an insurance location in Illinois.

Just announced by BancorpSouth – what it calls a “comprehensive management reorganization of the company’s senior management responsibilities and reporting structure.” 

More from the Tupelo-based financial holding company:

“The reorganization impacts the company’s entire senior management organization including its community bank system along with its mortgage, insurance, credit card services, wealth management and leasing and equipment financing lines of business. The reorganization also impacts BancorpSouth’s operations and technology, credit administration and loan operations, accounting, compliance, audit, enterprise risk management and administration functions.

As part of the reorganization, and as previously announced, Chris A. Bagley has been named President and Chief Operating Officer; Bagley succeeds James V. Kelley. The Company announced earlier this year Kelley’s planned retirement, effective Aug. 5, 2014.

“This reorganization of the company’s senior management responsibilities and reporting structure reinforces BancorpSouth’s total focus and commitment to growing loans, deposits and fee income while building on the quality and high standards of the BancorpSouth customer experience,” said Chairman and CEO Dan Rollins. “The realignment of the company’s front line sales and support functions to focus on growth will be supported by coordinated efforts and improved processes intended to maintain high quality credit metrics, eliminate redundant product silos, improve and increase internal communications, and drive our cost reduction and operating efficiency initiatives; all intended to contribute to long-term growth and increased shareholder value.”

We have reorganized our reporting structure to focus on our customers and their needs. This new reporting structure will involve each senior staff member’s area of responsibility being represented on one of five major teams, all focused on responsibilities either directly involved with business development/sales or in support of such efforts. All front line teammates, including banking, mortgage, insurance, wealth management, and leasing & equipment finance, will be part of the new “Business Development” team.

The Credit team, including Credit Administration and Loan Operations, will work to support all Business Development lending teammates. All Operations teammates will work together to support the Business Development teammates, while the Administration and Accounting teams will support all lines and functions throughout the company.

“This alignment will provide for greater collaboration and promotion of client interface between functions, especially so between our Business Development team members, where the broadening of client relationships and cross-selling of products and services directly impacts bottom line results, said Rollins. ”In addition to helping provide additional growth and sales opportunities for our company, this new organizational alignment will facilitate a more streamlined and standardized operating process, promote improved cooperation and require greater accountability by managers and lead to a more efficient model to accomplish our long-term growth goals.“

Senior Management Information:

• Dan Rollins Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Dan Rollins has served as our Chief Executive Officer since November 2012, and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer since April 2014.

Prior to being selected by BancorpSouth’s Board of Directors as the Company’s CEO in 2012, Dan served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Prosperity Bancshares, Inc., a publicly traded financial holding company.

Since assuming the CEO role at BancorpSouth in 2012, Dan quickly went about carefully and methodically approaching necessary changes in the Company with a goal of returning BancorpSouth to its historically high profitability levels.

Through face-to-face meetings and other communications emphasizing our key priorities of growing loans and deposits and operating more efficiently, teammate contributions have been recognized and substantial progress has been reported. Team members are being encouraged to approach their work as owners of the company, and we continue to see improvements resulting from those efforts.

Dan earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from The University of Texas. He is also a graduate of The Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at SMU.

• Chris Bagley President and Chief Operating Officer
Chris Bagley has over 31 years of experience in commercial banking. His experience with loan administration, credit administration, the allowance for loan and lease loss methodology, internally classified loan monitoring, fair value accounting and reporting, as well as mortgage lending, BSA, fair lending and compliance will all support BancorpSouth’s long term performance.

Chris earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Stephen F. Austin State University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Houston. Chris is presently serving as an advisory board member of the University of Houston banking certificate program through the Bauer College of Business.

• James Threadgill Senior Executive Vice President

James Threadgill has over 27 years of experience in commercial banking with BancorpSouth. James serves as Senior Executive Vice President of BancorpSouth, reporting to the President and COO with senior management responsibilities for the Company’s Business Development team. For the last 12 years, he has been responsible for the executive management of our Mortgage, Insurance and Wealth Management business units. Prior to that, he served in senior management positions within the community bank in Jackson, Vicksburg and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. He joined BancorpSouth in 1987 after working with the Mississippi Department of Economic Development in their Finance Division.

James earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from the University of Mississippi, and is a graduate of the ABA National Commercial Lending School. He also attended Cumberland School of Law.

• Gordon Lewis Senior Executive Vice President

Gordon Lewis has over 40 years of experience in commercial banking. Gordon serves as Senior Executive Vice President for BancorpSouth, reporting to the President and COO with senior management responsibilities for the Company’s Business Development team.

Gordon joined BancorpSouth in 2000 through the merger with First United Bancshares where he was the Regional Chairman of the bank responsible for the Company’s banks in Texas and Louisiana. Gordon also served as Chairman, President and CEO of Fredonia State Bank in Nacogdoches, Texas as part of First United Bancshares.

Gordon earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Texas A&M University and is a Certified Public Accountant. He also completed the University of Wisconsin School for Bank Administration with a major in Controllership.

• Bill Prater Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Bill Prater has 27 years of experience in commercial banking. Bill serves as Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer for BancorpSouth. Reporting to the Chairman and CEO, he is responsible for Financial Accounting, Investor Relations and Tax Accounting.

Bill joined BancorpSouth in 2008 after serving as Executive Vice President of Financial Segment Support at Regions Bank. Prior to his career at Regions, Bill served as Senior Vice President of Financial Accounting with SouthTrust Corporation. Bill began his career with KPMG, LLP.

Bill earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from the University of Alabama in Birmingham. He is a Certified Public Accountant.

• Ron Hodges Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Credit Officer\

Ron has over 41 years of experience in commercial banking. He currently serves as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer for BancorpSouth. Reporting to the President and COO, he is also responsible for Loan Administration and Loan Operations.

Ron joined the bank in 1973 and has worked in numerous areas of the bank including: Branch Operations, Credit Card, Community Bank President, Loan Administration and his current capacity of Chief Credit Officer.

Ron earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Mississippi, an executive MBA from Duke University and is a graduate of the Wisconsin Graduate School of Banking.

• Cathy Freeman Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer

Cathy Freeman has over 24 years of experience in commercial banking. Cathy serves as Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer, reporting to the Chairman and CEO. She is responsible for Marketing, Human Resources, Facilities Management, and Training. Cathy’s team provides support functions for the bank and the BancorpSouth Board of Directors.

Cathy joined BancorpSouth in 1990 as a Management Trainee. Early in Cathy’s career, she held officer positions in the student loan and loan administration areas. In 1997, Cathy was promoted to Corporate Secretary where she continues to support the Board of Directors, while assuming additional responsibilities for a range of administrative support functions.

Cathy earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Banking & Finance and Managerial Finance from the University of Mississippi. She is a graduate of the Mississippi School of Banking and the ABA’s Stonier Graduate School of Banking.

• Greg Ray Executive Vice President & Chief Banking Officer

Greg Ray has over 25 years of experience in commercial banking. Greg serves as Executive Vice President & Chief Banking Officer, responsible for the Community Banking system staff, product sales, service and the branch network. Prior to accepting a leadership role in community banking in 2009, he had extensive experience in funds management, wholesale funding, pricing strategy and interest rate risk management.

Greg earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Banking & Finance from Mississippi State University. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a graduate of the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking.

• Tommy Darnell Executive Vice President & Chief Sales Officer
Tommy Darnell has over 41 years of experience in commercial banking. Tommy will be relocating to Tupelo to assume his new role as Executive Vice President & Chief Sales Officer responsible for the Community Bank system’s retail and commercial loan, deposit and fee income production.

Tommy joined BancorpSouth in 2003, as President of the Hinds County, MS Division, after serving as Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer at Trustmark National Bank. In 2012 Tommy was named Executive Vice President and Division Manager for the newly created Corporate Lending Division. Since its formation, working closely with lenders across the system in a relationship context, the division has contributed to the growth of our Company.

Tommy earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Banking and Finance from Mississippi State University and a Master’s of Business Administration from Mississippi College. He also is a graduate of The Graduate School of Banking of the South at LSU where he later served as a member of the Board and as President. He is also a graduate of the ABA National Commercial Lending School undergraduate and graduate programs.

• Jeff Jaggers Executive Vice President & Chief Information Officer
Jeff Jaggers has over 31 years of experience in commercial banking. Jeff serves as Executive Vice President & Chief Information Officer. Reporting to the President and COO, he is responsible for all Company operations and technology.

His experience with information technology, check processing, Check 21, ACH processing, treasury management, project management, community banking as well as deposit operations, BSA, deposit fee income, vendor management and strategic planning will all aid the company in achieving its long term goals.

Jeff earned a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree from the University of Mississippi. He is also a graduate of the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking. Jeff is presently serving as a member of the board of directors of ECCHO (Electronic Check Clearing House Organization) and serves on ECCHO’s Executive Committee.

• Cathy Robertson Executive Vice President & Chief Risk Officer

Cathy Robertson has over 37 years of experience in commercial banking. Cathy serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer. Reporting directly to the Risk Committee of the Board of Directors along with the Chairman and CEO, she is responsible for Enterprise Risk Management.

Cathy joined BancorpSouth in 1976 as a Management Trainee upon earning a degree in Accounting from Mississippi State University. She has also graduated from the Mid-South School of Banking, ABA National School of Bank Card Management, and the Graduate School of Banking from the University of Wisconsin.

She has served in many roles with the bank including loan officer, personal banker, manager of the Student Loan Department, manager of the Credit Card department, Corporate Secretary, and as division head over Mortgage, Insurance, Trust, Investments and Sales Finance.

• Carol Waddle Executive Vice President and Chief Audit Officer

Carol Waddle has over 30 years of audit experience. Carol serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Audit Officer. Reporting directly to the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors, she is responsible for the Audit and Loan Review Division.

Upon earning a Bachelor of Accountancy from the University of Mississippi, she joined BancorpSouth as a staff auditor. Carol then worked in public accounting where she obtained extensive experience of financial statement auditing, focusing principally in financial institutions. She rejoined BancorpSouth with responsibilities for the Bank’s internal control environment. Her experiences in regulatory reporting and Sarbanes-Oxley requirements continue to benefit BancorpSouth.

Carol holds the designations of Certified Public Accountant, Certified Bank Auditor, Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager, Chartered Global Management Accountant and Certified Financial Services Auditor.

• Markham McKnight President – BancorpSouth Insurance Services, Inc.

Markham serves as President of BancorpSouth Insurance Services. He is responsible for BancorpSouth’s insurance brokerage line of business, including the Company’s 33 insurance offices in nine states.
Markham joined BancorpSouth in 2003 through a merger with Wright & Percy Insurance Company, where he served as President and Chief Executive Officer. He was promoted to President of BancorpSouth Insurance Services in 2005.

Markham holds a Bachelor’s Degree in General Studies, with an emphasis in Construction Management, from Louisiana State University and a Master of Business Administration Degree from LSU. He is a past Chairman of the Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers. He currently serves as Treasurer of the Louisiana Insurance Guaranty Association and is the Chairman of the Board of the Worldwide Broker Network.

• Bob Althoff President – Northwest Region

Bob Althoff began his banking career in Arkansas in 1971. During the past 43 years, he served in various capacities for banks in Arkansas and Texas, primarily in the management of commercial lending divisions.

Returning to his home state in 1987, he was president of two different banking organizations prior to organizing Pinnacle Bancshares, where he was President and CEO and served on the Board of Directors. In 2002, Pinnacle Bancshares merged with BancorpSouth, where Althoff continued as the President of the Little Rock market. In 2004, he assumed the President position over the state of Arkansas, and in 2012 he was named President – Northwest Region, encompassing Arkansas and Missouri. This region includes 56 banking locations with 450 employees, $2.2 billion in deposits and $1.6 billion in loans.

Bob earned a Bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He also is a graduate of Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at SMU. A Vietnam War veteran, Bob was awarded the Vietnamese Silver Star, the American Bronze Star and the Army Commendation Medal for Valor.

• David Barrentine President – Southeast Region

David Barrentine has 36 years of experience in commercial banking and, since 2003 has served as President of the Southeast Region of BancorpSouth Bank with responsibility for all 75 banking locations in Alabama, Florida and the south half of Mississippi with approximately $3.2 billion in deposits and $2.5 billion in loans.

David joined BancorpSouth as Division President in Jackson, MS, in 2001 after serving as an Area Executive for AmSouth Bank. His community bank experience includes responsibilities for consumer, commercial, commercial real estate, private banking, and trust lines of business. He also has served in credit administration roles. Before assuming management responsibilities, David served as a commercial and real estate loan officer.

David earned a Bachelor’s degree in Banking and Finance from Mississippi State University. He also received a Masters of Business Administration from Mississippi College. He is a graduate of The Graduate School of Banking of the South at LSU, and the Stanford Executive Program at Stanford University.

• Lester Lucy President – Southwest Region

Lester Lucy has 31 years of banking experience. Lester serves as President of the Southwest Region of BancorpSouth Bank, a position he has held since 2008. He has responsibility for all 43 banking locations in Louisiana and Texas with approximately $1.8 billion in deposits and $1.9 billion in loans. Under Lester’s leadership, BancorpSouth has entered new markets and achieved significant growth in the region.

Lester joined BancorpSouth in 2004 as President of the Longview, Texas market, later becoming President – Southwest Region in 2008. Prior to joining BancorpSouth, he served as Commercial Lender, Senior Lender, and City Executive of Bank One in Longview, Texas; and, as a Vice President at a savings bank in Houston, Texas.

Lester earned a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and a Master’s degree in Agriculture with a Real Estate Economics emphasis from Texas A&M University. He is also a graduate of the ABA National Commercial Lending School.

• Brian Walhood President – Northeast Region

Brian Walhood has 26 years of experience in commercial banking. Brian serves as President of the Northeast Region of BancorpSouth with responsibility for 79 banking locations in Tennessee and the north half of Mississippi, with approximately $3.7 billion in deposits and $1.9 billion in loans.

Brian joined BancorpSouth in 1988 as a Management Trainee. He has served as a loan officer, bank manager, Community Bank President and Division President. He was named President of BancorpSouth’s Monroe, Louisiana Division in 2001, and has served as BancorpSouth’s President – Northeast Region since 2003.

Brian earned a Bachelor’s degree in Banking and Finance from Mississippi State University and is a graduate of The Graduate School of Banking of the South at LSU.

• Mike Meyer Executive Vice President
Mike Meyer has over 24 years of experience in commercial banking and bank management. Mike serves as Executive Vice President, assisting with efficiency improvements across the footprint for BancorpSouth and expansion in the Texas markets.

Mike joined BancorpSouth in 2014 after serving for nine years with Prosperity Bank as President of the Central Texas Area, a $1.4 Billion, 34 location business unit. He also served as Chairman/President of Village Bank and Trust in Austin, Texas, a $100 Million community bank. From 1991 through 1998, Mike was Owner, President and CEO of M-R Medical, a medical equipment and respiratory services company located in Dallas, Texas.

Mike earned a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from The University of Texas and is a graduate of the Southwestern School of Banking at SMU.

• Scott Dickey President – BancorpSouth Mortgage Services

Scott Dickey has 21 years of experience in the mortgage industry, and serves as President of BancorpSouth Mortgage Services. His experience in capital markets, product development, operations and credit policy will support growth in the area. Scott joined BancorpSouth in 2013 after serving as Senior Vice President of Secondary Marketing with SouthTrust and Regions Bank, in Birmingham, AL.

Scott earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is a former board member and past President of the Mortgage Bankers Association of Alabama.

• George Carter Executive Vice President & Chief Loan Administration Officer

George Carter has 28 years of experience in commercial banking. George serves as Executive Vice President & Chief Loan Administration Officer. He is responsible for Credit Risk and Loan Operations.

George joined BancorpSouth in 1986. His career includes increasing responsibilities within the bank including management of the loan review function, regional loan administrator and commercial real estate risk management. He is a member of the company’s Credit Committee.

George earned Bachelor’s degrees in Agricultural Economics and Banking and Finance from Mississippi State University, and a Masters of Agriculture from Mississippi State. He is also a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking of the South at Louisiana State University.

• Terry Mobley President – Wealth Management Services

Terry Mobley has 27 years of experience in banking and financial services. Terry serves as President – Wealth Management Services, and is responsible for the Company’s trust, asset management and investments lines of business.

Terry joined BancorpSouth in 2008 as Senior Vice President after serving as Senior Vice President and Regional Wealth Management Executive of Trustmark National Bank. He also served as a regional bank executive of SEI Investments, Senior Vice President /Trust Officer/Director of Financial Services of Troy Bank & Trust in Troy, AL and Regional Account Executive of CitiCorp Bank in Atlanta, GA.

Terry earned a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Troy State University in Troy, AL and is a graduate of the National Graduate Trust School at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. He is a graduate of Southern Trust School held at Birmingham Southern University in Birmingham, AL, as well as the ABA National Graduate Trust School. He has held designations of Series 6, 7, 63, 65, and Life and Health Insurance Licenses. Terry also holds the Certified Trust and Financial Advisor, CTFA, designation.

• Michael Lindsey Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer

Michael Lindsey has 25 years of experience in commercial banking. Michael serves as Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer. He is responsible for corporate marketing, corporate communications, product development and training.

Michael joined BancorpSouth in 1989. He has experience in systems development, debit cards, credit cards, online payments, Internet and mobile banking, customer service, and marketing.

Michael received a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance from the University of Mississippi, a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Memphis, and is a graduate of the ABA’s Stonier Graduate School of Banking.

• Che Clay Senior Vice President & Chief Compliance Officer

Che Clay has 13 years of experience in commercial banking. Che serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer, reporting to the President and COO. She is responsible for coordination and oversight of regulatory compliance.

Che joined BancorpSouth in 2001 in the Central Loan Operations area. Prior to assuming a role in employee relations, Che earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Mississippi where her primary focus of study was Human Resource Management. After earning a law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law, Che worked as the Assistant Corporate Secretary for BancorpSouth with responsibilities in corporate governance affairs for the bank and its subsidiaries. Che attended the ABA National Compliance School and is a member of the Mississippi Bar.

• Jeannie McNinch Senior Vice President & Controller

Jeannie McNinch has been with BancorpSouth for 11 years. Jeannie serves as Senior Vice President & Controller.

Jeannie joined BancorpSouth in 2003 as a Vice President in the CFO’s office. She had previously served as Controller for Trammell Crow Company in Memphis, TN, and Supervising Senior for KPMG Peat Marwick in Memphis, TN.

Jeannie earned a Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree in Accounting from Mississippi State University. She is a Certified Public Accountant.

• Ken Anderson Senior Vice President & Chief Human Resource Officer

Ken Anderson has 31 years of experience in banking. Ken serves as Senior Vice President & Chief Human Resource Officer. His experience in operations, internal audit, loan administration, loan review, mortgage lending and as the employment relations manager and the assistant manager of human resources gives him the background necessary to lead the strategic mission of BancorpSouth’s human resources.

Ken received a Bachelor’s degree in Banking and Finance from University of Mississippi. He is a graduate of Southern Trust School held at Birmingham Southern University in Birmingham, AL, as well as Trust Audit and Compliance School held at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Ken also completed the National Truth-In-Lending Compliance School and the ABA National Compliance School held at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. Ken has attained the designations of Certified Compensation Professional, (CCP) and Professional in Human Resources, (PHR).

• Will Fisackerly Senior Vice President & Director of Corporate Finance

Will Fisackerly has been with BancorpSouth for 3 years. He serves as Senior Vice President & Director of Corporate Finance.

Will joined BancorpSouth in 2011 as First Vice President and Director of Investor Relations, after serving as Audit Manager with KPMG LLP in Memphis, TN. He was promoted to Senior Vice President and Director of Corporate Finance in 2013.

Will earned a Bachelor of Accountancy degree and Master of Professional Accountancy degree from Mississippi State University. He is a Certified Public Accountant.

• Fred Keen Senior Vice President & Chief Investment Officer

Fred Keen has 18 years of banking experience. He serves as Senior Vice President & Chief Investment Officer.

Fred joined BancorpSouth in 1996 as a Management Trainee. He has served as an officer in Loan Review, Small Business Loans, and Loan Administration. In 2001 he moved to Accounting and Control until 2009. He then moved to the Funds Management division and was named leader of that division in 2011.

Fred earned a Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Mississippi State University.

• Keith Mansfield Senior Vice President & Chief Technology Officer

Keith Mansfield has 16 years of banking experience. Keith serves as Senior Vice President & Chief Technology Officer.

Keith directs the planning and implementation of enterprise IT systems in support of business operations and is responsible for managing the Information Technology Group. In addition, he is responsible for business continuity and information security.

Keith joined BancorpSouth in 1998 as a Management Trainee and has served in many roles with the bank including manager of the Electronic Banking, Internet Banking, and Wire Transfer departments.
Keith received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Tennessee at Martin, graduating with high honors and being named the Outstanding Student in Accounting and Administrative Services.

• Jerome Dominescy Senior Vice President & Deposit Operations Manager

Jerome Dominescy is responsible for all facets of Deposit Operations, Bank Security and the BancorpSouth Call Center. He is also responsible for leading the Company’s operational process initiatives designed to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and improve the effectiveness in serving customers.

With over 34 years of management experience with banks that include Compass Bank and Bank One, and 9 years with BancorpSouth, Jerome has a track record of leading successful teams responsible for Deposit and Loan Operations, Consumer, Home Equity and Mortgage Lending, and business planning, design and implementation.

Jerome has a Bachelor of Science with emphasis in Finance and Management from Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, AL.

From the Downtown Main Street Association comes this news about the 2014 Down on Main Summer Concert Series. 

It will be held the second Thursday of July, August and September at Fairpark in Downtown Tupelo. Each concert starts at 6:30 pm. Three local food trucks (local MOBILE, Memphis Style BBQ on Wheels and Two Dudes Mexican Foods) will set up at each event, as well as two sweets vendors.

This summer’s line-up:

July 10: Headliner –  Hot Buttered Rum. Opener is Howlin’ Brothers

Aug. 14: Headliner – Bobby Rush Band.  Opener is Homemade Jamz Blues Band

Sept. 11: Headliner – North Mississippi Allstars. Opener to be announced.

2014 marks the sixth summer of the Down on Main Concerts. The series is planned by a group of volunteers in partnership with the Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association.

The Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association has been designated as an accredited National Main Street Program for meeting the commercial district revitalization performance standards set by the National Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Each year, the National Main Street Center and its partners announce the list of accredited Main Street programs in recognition of their exemplary commitment to historic preservation and community revitalization through the Main Street Four Point Approach.

“We congratulate this year’s nationally accredited Main Street programs for their outstanding accomplishment in meeting the National Main Street Center’s performance standards,” says Patrice Frey, President and CEO of the National Main Street Center. “Accredited Main Street programs create vibrant communities by using a comprehensive strategy to preserve their historic character and revitalize their commercial districts, which helps make these great places to work, live, play and visit.”

The organization’s performance is annually evaluated by the Mississippi Main Street Association, which works in partnership with the National Main Street Center to identify the local programs that meet ten performance standards. These standards set the benchmarks for measuring an individual Main Street program’s application of the Main Street Four Point Approach to commercial district revitalization.

Evaluation criteria determines the communities that are building comprehensive and sustainable revitalization efforts and include standards such fostering strong public-private partnerships, securing an operating budget, tracking programmatic progress and actively preserving historic buildings.

Established by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1980, the National Main Street Center helps communities of all sizes revitalize their older and historic commercial districts. Working in more than 2,200 downtowns and urban neighborhoods over the last 34 years, the Main Street program has leveraged more than $59.6 billion in new public and private investment. Participating communities have created 502,728 net new jobs and 115,381 net new businesses, and rehabilitated more than 246,158 buildings, leveraging an average of $33.28 in new investment for every dollar spent on their Main Street district revitalization efforts.

The Tupelo Convention and Visitors Bureau is updating the list of restaurants, hotels and attractions on its website.

So, the CVB needs those businesses to review their information and send any updates to deputy director Stephanie Coomer at scoomer@tupelo.net.

The information is needed by the end of the business day on Thursday, July 10.

The updated website will have a new look and functionality.

“All listings will transfer from the current website.  Now is the time to update listings to reflect the most current information,” the CVB said.

Air Choice One, which is based outside of St. Louis, made its presentation to airport officials today.

Company CEO Shane Storz said affordability and reliability are critical, as is the hub.

That being said, Storz said one-way tickets from Tupelo to Memphis would start at $49 and lower for probably the first six months of service, while one-way tickets to Nashville would start at $59.

Those prices are for non-refundable tickets. Refundable tickets would tack on about $20 more per ticket.

Air Choice One is one of four airlines proposing to offer service in Tupelo, and it has four options. 

The cheapest is a $2.9 million subsidy that would offer 30 round-trip tickets a week between Memphis and Tupelo. The most expensive offers 18 round trips to Memphis AND 18 round trips to Nashville a week for $3.9 million.

The money would come from the federal Essential Air Service Program, which DOES NOT RECEIVE TAXPAYER MONEY. Instead, the money comes from fees charged to all airlines who fly in the U.S.

If selected, Storz said it would take about 90 days before Air Choice could get operations started. It already provides service in Decatur, Illinois; Burlington, Indiana and Jonesboro, Arkansas. It begins service in Ironwood, Michigan next Monday. And today, the airline was selected by Mason City and Fort Dodge in Iowa to provide service there.

Storz admits that it will be challenging to convince the flying public to hop onto an eight-passenger Cessna Grand Caravan plane, when they’ve gotten used to 34-seat Saab 340s, and for a time, 50-seat regional jets.

But the new reality is that small airports will no longer be served by such aircraft, and the Grand Caravan will be one of the go-to planes.

Air Choice One will use an executive seating configuration, which offers larger, more comfortable seats. Other configurations of the plane have nine seats but use standard commercial seating.

One of the first things to overcome is the perception of uncomfortable seats, and Air Choice One’s configuration will change that, Storz said.

He also said the introductory price is needed to lure flyers who may still have doubts.

“Pricing is key; we think having a very competitive, affordable price will attract a lot of people,” he said.

SeaPort Airlines will make its presentation tomorrow. Sun Air cancelled its appearance, but has not withdrawn its bid.

Read more in tomorrow’s Daily Journal .

Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. announced today that chief financial officer Brad Hughes is the company’s president – international operations. The international tire segment accounts for $1.2 billion for Cooper.

Hal Miller – who was president-interational tire division – is now executive adviser to CEO Roy Armes.

One sure way to tick off Elvis fans – remove or change something that belonged to The King.

Apparently, Graceland – or more specifically, Elvis Presley Enterprises – is going to test out that theory when it moves two planes that belonged to him.

From the Associated Press we have this:

For 30 years, tourists from around the world have paid money to get a look at two airplanes once owned by Elvis Presley at Graceland in Memphis. Fans enjoy touring the planes for their direct connection to Presley and his jet-setting lifestyle, a sort of touchstone to the life of the King of Rock and Roll and his family.

By April of next year, the planes named Lisa Marie and Hound Dog II could be gone.

Elvis Presley Enterprises, which operates the Graceland tourist attraction, has written to the planes’ owners saying they should prepare to remove the jets from Graceland by next spring

The planes have been a tourist attraction since the mid-1980s. They had been sold after Presley’s death, and were eventually purchased by OKC Partnership in Memphis.

OKC Partnership and Graceland agreed to bring the two jets to Graceland. The agreement called for OKC Partnership to receive a cut of ticket sales in return for keeping the planes there.

In an April 7 letter to OKC Partnership’s K.G. Coker, Elvis Presley Enterprises CEO Jack Soden says the company is exercising its option to end the agreement and asks Coker “to make arrangements for the removal of the airplanes and the restoration of the site on or shortly after April 26, 2015.”