Within Picayune’s industrial park, there are several companies that provide work to Pearl River County residents.

From the production of plastic products, to the manufacture of cardboard boxes and mining and processing of aggregate, the industrial park serves as a home for a variety of businesses.

Many of these companies don’t get a lot of publicity of any kind. Yet, they employ hundreds of people and create a tax base that helps keep our cities going.

We need those tax dollars to ensure operations within the municipality and surrounding areas continue.

Supporting the community is another way these local businesses do their part to be good neighbors. Scholarships for students and donations to city agencies go a long way in showing that a company has an interest in supporting our community.

Our city leaders should also be commended for establishing a place within the municipal boundaries capable of enticing industry to set up shop, especially close to the railroad.

By establishing the industrial park next to the railroad lines, it gave incentive for a number of companies to begin operation along that method of transporting goods. This is especially true for a company that ships items out of the area or receives large amounts of shipments at once.

Forward thinking is what will ensure Picayune, Poplarville and Pearl River County will continue to grow, not just in population, but in the available workforce as well.

Some of the jobs at these facilities require specialized training, or a college degree. When businesses and industries are enticed to locate here, they bring with them opportunities for our children to consider staying close to home when they graduate high school or college.

It is our hope that the industrial park can be expanded to draw in even more companies and industries that will provide good paying local jobs to our residents.