2016 Looking ahead to building on 2015’s accomplishments

January 6, 2016

Here at the start of a new year, the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission is looking forward to building on the many significant accomplishments of 2015 and seeing plans announced during the year put into motion.

Those successes are built largely on the assets and services that the Commission can provide to tenants at Port Bienville Industrial Park, Stennis International Airport and Stennis Space Center. Some of those services are highlighted in this month’s newsletter. Others include the David N. McDonald Training Center in Port Bienville which supports local industry needs and workforce training events.

Together, they contributed to the year’s major achievements including DAK Americas’ plans for a multimillion dollar expansion in Port Bienville Industrial Park that will create 86 full service jobs.

Also, PHI Inc. announced it had chosen Stennis International Airport for its Gulf of Mexico Contingency Operations Base to support major oil and gas customer evacuations due to tropical weather.

Port Bienville also was chosen as the site for a potential major petrochemical industrial facility by EmberClear which has a lease-option agreement on a 150-acre site in the Industrial Park.

With all leasable space at the airport occupied and the port’s need to increase intermodal capacity, HCPHC was pleased at the announcement in December of $10 million in grant funding through the Restore Act for improvements and additions at the port and airport, which will allow $2 million to build a large capacity hangar onto the south side of the new terminal complex, and $8 million for improvements to the dock and rail at the trans loading facility.

Also in 2015, the Port and Harbor Commission unveiled its new brand identity: Hancock: Port, Air and Space. The branding package includes a new logo and website to reflect the county’s diverse and competitive assets.

Million Air Stennis cut the ribbon on the new two-story, 10,000-square-foot terminal that will take Stennis International years into the future.

After a productive year, SpaceX officials said they are pleased with the decision to test their Raptor rocket engine components at Stennis Space Center. The Port and Harbor Commission received a state economic development award for recruiting SpaceX to the county.

Members of Coast Guard Port Security Unit 308, based at Stennis International, returned home Sept. 30 from a nine-month deployment to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, supporting Operation Enduring Freedom and the global war on terrorism.

Lazy Magnolia Brewing Co. at Stennis International Airport celebrated its 10th anniversary milestone. Lazy Magnolia is sold from Texas to New York.

Navagis, a member of the Enterprise for Innovative Geospatial Solutions at Stennis Space Center, was chosen by Google to provide technical support for all Google Geo Products, including Google Maps Engine, Google Maps API and Google Earth Enterprise.

Stennis International hosted the cast and crew of the action film "Precious Cargo” starring Bruce Willis, Mark Paul Gosselaar and Claire Forlani.

With the close of a successful year and a bright outlook for the new year, the Port and Harbor Commission wishes its economic development partners a Happy and Prosperous 2016.