The Gulf Coast Business Council’s July General Membership Meeting brought business, government, education, military and community leaders together on Thursday, July 23, at the Knight Nonprofit Center for an important conversation about the future of Coastal Mississippi.
The meeting marked the formal kickoff of GCBC’s regional priorities process and advocacy strategy for the 2027 Mississippi Legislative Session and statewide elections. President and CEO Jamie Miller outlined how the Business Council will identify the issues most important to the private sector, align them with priorities already established across the region and turn that work into a focused agenda for action.
The morning also included updates on federal appointments, infrastructure projects, military leadership, regional events and other developments affecting South Mississippi.
Regional Updates and Announcements
Miller began by recognizing GCBC Chairman Jonathan Jones, Executive Committee member Brian Blanchette, Emeritus Executive Committee member Anthony Wilson and former GCBC Chair Kari Wilkinson. Wilkinson now serves as executive vice president of HII and president of Newport News Shipbuilding, where she leads more than 26,000 shipbuilders.
Local elected officials, State Rep. Greg Haney, representatives from Mississippi’s congressional delegation, chamber leaders, education partners, military officials and other regional organizations were also recognized.
Several attendees shared timely updates from across the region and state:
- Wynne Ellington, representing U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, announced that Hyde-Smith has been appointed to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. The appointment gives Mississippi an additional voice in shaping federal defense funding and national security investments. The announcement followed the passing of U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, whose service and support for the nation’s military were also remembered.
- Star Chapman, representing Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, invited members to the 2026 Mississippi Women’s Summit, scheduled for August 31 and September 1 at the Mississippi Trade Mart in Jackson. More than 1,000 participants had already registered at the time of the meeting. The summit will include a kickoff dinner, entertainment, panel discussions, a marketplace, giveaways and a keynote presentation from Riley Gaines.
- Allison Buchanan announced an upcoming congressional roundtable organized by U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell in partnership with the Mississippi Sound Coalition. The meeting will focus on the Mississippi Sound and regional waterways and will involve the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment. The roundtable is scheduled for Tuesday, July 28, at 10 a.m. in Hall A of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Hospitality Resort Management Center on DeBuys Road in Biloxi.
- Mississippi State Port Authority CEO and Executive Director Jon Nass reported that the Port of Gulfport’s channel deepening and widening project had advanced through committees in both the U.S. House and Senate. The project would deepen the federal navigation channel from 36 feet to 46 feet and widen it to accommodate larger vessels. While congressional authorization and funding are still needed, Nass thanked Mississippi’s congressional delegation for its continued support.
- Gen. Joe Spraggins shared that Mississippi is expected to reopen its recreational red snapper season for Labor Day weekend, giving anglers another opportunity to fish later this year. Spraggins also asked members to remember former State Sen. John Polk, who recently passed away after years of service to South Mississippi.
- Andy Ratcliffe announced that Lt. Col. William D. “Coach” Harwell IV had been selected to lead the Combat Readiness Training Center in Gulfport. A change-of-command ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, August 2, at 10 a.m. at the CRTC.
- Ratcliffe also shared information about a November golf tournament organized by the Magnolia Chapter of the Army Aviation Association of America. The fundraiser will support a scholarship for Mississippi residents established in memory of Army aviator and Mississippi Guardsman Brad Green, who died in an OH-58D Kiowa Warrior crash at Camp Shelby in 2000. Businesses and community organizations were invited to participate as sponsors.
- Angie Juzang invited members to help Memorial Health System celebrate 80 years of service to the Gulf Coast. The July 23 celebration included a time capsule burial, special presentations, an anniversary flag raising, food, music and a reception held in partnership with the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce.
Returning to the Business Council’s Core Mission
GCBC Chairman Jonathan Jones opened the main program by reflecting on the progress the organization has made through Mission 3, StartUP Gulf Coast, Executive Leadership Academy and other regional initiatives. He also emphasized that GCBC’s record membership gives the organization a strong opportunity to represent the voice of business and industry.
Jones encouraged members to participate in the upcoming Regional Priorities Survey and stressed that the Business Council’s ability to lead depends on meaningful engagement from its members.
Miller then connected the regional priorities process to the reason GCBC was founded following Hurricane Katrina nearly 20 years ago: to provide a unified voice for business and industry across the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
“Leadership for regional solutions” remains the standard by which the organization evaluates its work, Miller said.
That mission led GCBC to consider a question that has challenged the region for years: Does the Mississippi Gulf Coast have aligned priorities?
With 12 cities, three counties, multiple ports and airports, educational institutions, military installations, healthcare systems, industries and regional organizations, Coastal Mississippi is complex. However, the work completed during the past six months suggests the region shares far more priorities than many people realize.
Bringing the Region’s Existing Plans Together
GCBC’s Masters Leadership Class has spent months reviewing comprehensive plans, strategic plans, workforce plans and other public documents adopted by cities, counties, school districts and regional organizations.
Class members also met with mayors, county leaders, public officials and other stakeholders to understand how priorities have changed since some of those documents were adopted.
The goal was not to create another plan in isolation or rewrite the work already completed by local communities. Instead, the class worked to bring those existing priorities together in one document, currently referred to as the “Plan of Plans.”
The purpose of the Plan of Plans is to articulate Coastal Mississippi’s aligned priorities in a single document grounded in adopted local and regional plans and informed by direct stakeholder interviews.
“What the Masters Class has been doing for the last six months, is meeting with local officials, taking comprehensive plans, strategic plans, any public document we could get our hands on and speaking with public officials,” Miller said. “It turns out we do actually have aligned priorities.”
While GCBC is not yet ready to release the document, Miller shared an overview of the preliminary “Draft of Drafts.” The document will address:
- The Gulf Coast economy today
- Workforce as the foundation for growth
- Economic development and the regional value of existing assets
- Competitive and connected communities
- Transportation and infrastructure as the platform for growth
- The ways regional priorities work together
- Strategic recommendations and opportunities for action
The value of the document, Miller explained, comes from the fact that it reflects priorities already identified throughout Coastal Mississippi.
“The value of this plan is that it is your plan,” he said. “We didn’t rewrite your comprehensive plan. We didn’t write your strategic plan. We took the priorities that were already adopted and compared them to those of other communities and organizations.”
The Plan of Plans will also be designed for regular updates. As communities adopt new comprehensive plans, workforce strategies and other regional documents, that information can be incorporated to keep the broader plan current.
Adding the Voice of Business and Industry
Although the initial work revealed meaningful alignment among public entities and regional organizations, one important voice still needed to be incorporated: the private sector.
To address that need, GCBC is launching a Regional Priorities Survey for business and industry. Members can expect the survey to begin arriving in their inboxes as early as July 24.
The survey will help the Business Council:
- Identify the issues most important to business and industry
- Understand where private sector priorities align with public plans
- Guide future investments and advocacy
- Strengthen the region’s ability to speak with one voice
The survey is specifically intended for private sector participation. Public entities, universities and nonprofit organizations have already helped inform the broader Plan of Plans through adopted plans, stakeholder interviews and other materials.
Miller encouraged members to give the survey careful consideration and provide honest input from the perspective of their businesses and industries.
Select Committee Will Turn Alignment Into Action
The Plan of Plans and Regional Priorities Survey will provide a broad picture of what matters across Coastal Mississippi. The next challenge will be narrowing that information into a manageable set of priorities that leaders can actively advance.
To complete that work, GCBC is establishing a Select Committee on Regional Priorities.
The committee will include 16 leaders representing Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties, as well as a range of industries and professional backgrounds. Members have been confirmed, and GCBC will announce the committee after its initial meeting schedule has been finalized.
Over approximately 90 days, from August through October, the committee will review the regional plan and private-sector survey results before identifying and recommending the Coast’s top actionable priorities.
The committee will focus on three closely connected areas:
- Economic growth and competitiveness
- Workforce development and long-term sustainability
- Quality of life for residents and families
The committee will be asked to think regionally and determine which priorities can produce the greatest impact. Recommendations may include immediate opportunities that can be addressed within six to 18 months, as well as goals requiring three to five years of sustained work.
The process is designed to move the region from a broad list of shared interests to a focused agenda. As Miller noted, the Coast cannot effectively pursue every one of the dozens of priorities identified in local plans at the same time.
“We have to find those key priorities within the business community that are aligned and that we can get done,” he said.
Preparing Coastal Mississippi for 2027
While regional alignment would be valuable in any year, the timing is especially important as Mississippi approaches 2027.
The upcoming year will include a legislative session and statewide elections for governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general and state auditor, along with elections for legislative and county offices.
Candidates are already beginning conversations with business and community leaders. GCBC wants its members to be prepared when asked what the business community believes is most important to Coastal Mississippi.
The Plan of Plans will answer the broad question of what priorities are shared across the region. The Select Committee’s final recommendations will provide a more specific list of actionable priorities that the Business Council and its partners can advance.
The resulting documents will form the foundation of GCBC’s 2027 advocacy strategy and help business leaders consistently communicate the region’s needs to candidates, policymakers and state officials.
“Our goal is that when a candidate asks what is important to the Coast, your first response will be, ‘Let me send you this document,’” Miller said.
The process is also intended to identify actions the region can take on its own. Not every recommendation will require new legislation or assistance from Jackson. Some may involve better coordination among coastal communities, businesses, educational institutions and regional organizations.
Priorities First, Funding Second
During the discussion, members raised questions about how the regional plan could influence funding decisions involving the Gulf Coast Restoration Fund, GOMESA, RESTORE Act funds and Tidelands funding.
Miller explained that GCBC intentionally began by identifying the region’s priorities without allowing current grant programs or funding eligibility requirements to shape the results.
The priorities should reflect what Coastal Mississippi genuinely needs, regardless of whether a specific funding source is immediately available. Once those priorities have been established, regional leaders can determine which programs and funding sources are best suited to advance them.
The completed plan could also provide an additional tool for evaluating future projects and investments. Miller said he intends to share the document with Mississippi Development Authority, the governor, lieutenant governor and other state leaders. It may also help members of the Gulf Coast Restoration Fund Advisory Board consider how proposed projects align with broader regional goals.
Education, Quality of Life and Infrastructure Rise to the Top
The member discussion reinforced how closely the Coast’s economic priorities are connected.
Miller said the planning process included documents from every coastal K-12 school district, along with workforce plans involving Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Pearl River Community College and other educational partners.
Education quickly emerged as one of the region’s highest priorities. Strong schools support workforce development, help communities retain families and play an important role in attracting new residents and employers.
Quality of life also received considerable attention. Members discussed the importance of maintaining and improving the Coast’s beaches, public spaces, visitor facilities and other community assets. A strong quality of life supports tourism, workforce recruitment, business investment and long-term population growth.
Transportation and infrastructure will be another major component of the regional document. Roads, ports, airports, waterways and other infrastructure provide the platform needed for economic growth and connect the region’s communities and industries.
The discussion also highlighted the importance of keeping the plan current. Some local comprehensive plans were adopted more than a decade ago, so stakeholder conversations were used to update the information and better reflect current conditions. Future local plans can be incorporated as they are completed.
Building a Unified Agenda for the Coast
The July meeting marked the beginning of a process that will continue throughout the remainder of 2026.
In the weeks ahead, GCBC will distribute the Regional Priorities Survey, release the regional alignment document under a new name and begin the work of the Select Committee on Regional Priorities. The Business Council will also develop a broader communications campaign to help members and the public understand the region’s shared priorities.
Members are encouraged to complete the survey, participate in future conversations and contact GCBC if they believe an important industry or organizational perspective needs additional representation.
The goal is straightforward: Coastal Mississippi should be able to clearly state its shared priorities, identify the issues on which action is possible and remain united as those issues are advanced.
“When you’re asked whether the Coast has aligned priorities, your enthusiastic answer should be yes,” Miller said.
