SelectHinds - Competitive Advantage
When considering a place to live, work and play, Hinds County has it all!
Strategically located in the center of the southeast United States and within 500 miles of approximately 39 percent of the nation's population and 35 percent of the total personal income, Hinds County is the perfect place for your business. Jackson, the state capital and central city of the Metropolitan area, is the intersection for Interstates 55 and 20, offering excellent transportation infrastructure.
Hinds County is also home to 8 institutions of higher education, major medical facilities, and unique shopping and dining venues.
Get to know us. Learn more throughout this website, call the Hinds County Economic Development Authority at 601-353-6056, or better yet, come visit us!
Industry Trends
As technology evolves and customer expectations change, the customer management industry continues to grow and expand. Customer service and data centers serve as the central point through which all customer contacts are managed. A recent study revealed that customer management spending is expected to continue to increase as companies seek to provide their customers with the best service possible.
In Hinds County, we understand the unique needs of your industry. In fact, Hinds County is home to over 32 of these businesses. Whether a center provides business-to-business or business-to-consumer support, we are prepared to meet your expanding contact center needs. We also know that a growing number of companies are using remote data centers to more efficiently and reliably store their secondary data. In addition, the National Association of Call Centers is based in Hattiesburg, and all of the customer service and data centers that call Hinds County home have ready access to this valuable asset.
A Hinds County Labor Force - Committed to Your Success
A well-qualified and affordable workforce is an essential element to operating any successful business.
Hinds County and the surrounding commuting area is home to a labor force of nearly 315,000 workers. With a low state-wide three percent absenteeism rate and only a five percent turnover rate, this reliability and stability help ensure the success of office sector operations located in the state. In addition, at an average of $16.18 per hour labor costs in Hinds County are much lower than the national average for the service sector.
Call Center Research Laboratory - One of A Kind
The Call Center Research Laboratory at the University of Southern Mississippi is a research facility dedicated to working with businesses in the call center industry. The laboratory's work focuses on using research-based scientific discovery, technology development and education to produce value-added products and services to assist call centers. There is no other research facility of this kind in the United States.
An Advanced Infrastructure Network - Making You More Efficient
The Mississippi Broadband Technology Development Act of 2003 provides incentives to telecommunications businesses to upgrade the state's telecom infrastructure. Since its passage, BellSouth has made significant improvements to create a far- reaching and sophisticated network throughout the state.
This telecom incentive program has encouraged development of the state's technology infrastructure in all parts of the state, but particularly in rural areas. For example, BellSouth has deployed DSL in 87 offices that had not previous been scheduled for DSL service.
BellSouth's fiber network in Mississippi has grown to include 203central office switches with more than 341,000 miles of fiber in fiber optic cables and more than 8,300 route miles of fiber. DSL technology is provided in 99 percent of BellSouth's central offices and in 500 remote sites throughout the state. The company's self-healing interoffice network now serves in excess of one million lines, with all central offices in the state being 100 percent SONET capable.
A Business-Friendly Location - Maximizing Your Success
In Hinds County, we can offer companies substantial savings compared with many other parts of the U.S. In addition to the competitive advantages already mentioned Mississippi provides customer service and data centers with tax credits and other incentives under the Mississippi Broadband Technology Development Act. This act rewards companies that deploy broadband in sparsely populated areas and urban areas in the state. Specifically, it provides reimbursement of equipment costs for providing broadband services through an income tax credit. There are also income tax credits available for job creation and retraining of employees.
The Mississippi Advantage Jobs Incentive Program provides quarterly incentive payments based on a percentage of withholding to qualifying companies for up to 10 years, which provides an important cash benefit to new companies locating in the state. Some local property tax and certain sales and use tax exemptions may also be available under the act.
Targeted Incentives - Making You More Profitable