Mississippi Development Authority
Mississippi Development Authority is Mississippi's state economic development agency that recruits and supports businesses expanding or relocating to the state through site selection, workforce development, and tax incentive programs including MFLEX. It serves enterprises across advanced manufacturing, aerospace, agribusiness, and other key industries at no direct cost.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1936
- HeadquartersJackson, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Mississippi Development Authority does
Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) is the state of Mississippi's lead economic development agency, founded in 1936 and headquartered in Jackson. With 251–500 employees, MDA serves businesses expanding or relocating to Mississippi by providing site selection assistance, incentive negotiation, workforce development, permitting coordination, and infrastructure support. Its core service offerings include the MFLEX (Mississippi Flexible Tax Incentive Plan) — a single-application universal tax credit program — alongside dedicated site selection tools (including a GIS-based property search), industry-specific support across advanced manufacturing, aerospace and defense, agribusiness, automotive, blue economy, chemicals, forestry, energy, logistics, and shipbuilding, and workforce training programs in partnership with educational institutions.
MDA's business model is that of a state government agency: services are provided at no direct cost to businesses, with funding derived from state appropriations and federal grants such as the $433,333 State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) grant received in 2024. The agency distributes its services through direct, white-glove engagement with dedicated project managers per business, supported by partnerships with county economic development authorities, NASA John C. Stennis Space Center, the University of Mississippi, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, and the U.S. Coast Guard. Pricing/incentives are negotiated on a project-by-project basis and include tax incentives, grants, and rebates tailored to each project.
Recent strategic activity centers on attracting large industrial investments — including GE Aerospace's $11M Batesville expansion (100 jobs), Amick Farms' $74.5M poultry processing expansion (190 jobs), BWC Terminals' new Pascagoula facility, Aluminum Dynamics' $200M investment (100 jobs), and Relativity Space's $59M aerospace presence (200 jobs) at Stennis. MDA also facilitated VT Halter Marine's $745M U.S. Coast Guard Polar Security Cutter contract and entered a partnership with the University of Mississippi to develop a lithium/critical minerals industry from the Smackover Formation. The agency's competitive positioning rests on a 5% corporate tax rate, #2 lowest cost of living, top-3 housing affordability, and third-party-validated rankings (#7 Business Climate, #6 Regulatory Environment, #6 Tax Competitiveness Index).
Mississippi Development Authority firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mississippi Development Authority
- Legal name
- Mississippi Development Authority
- Website
- https://mississippi.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1936
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Mississippi Development Authority is Mississippi's state economic development agency that recruits and supports businesses expanding or relocating to the state through site selection, workforce development, and tax incentive programs including MFLEX. It serves enterprises across advanced manufacturing, aerospace, agribusiness, and other key industries at no direct cost.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mississippi Development Authority industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Economic Development Agency Services
- NAICS
- Administration of General Economic Programs (92611)
- akta.pro primary industry
- State/Provincial Licensing, Permitting & Regulatory Administration (Cross-sector) (BPAIABAO)
Keywords
Where Mississippi Development Authority is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Jackson
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Mississippi Development Authority business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Mississippi Development Authority product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Mississippi Development Authority is the state of Mississippi's lead economic development agency, providing site selection assistance, tax incentive negotiation (including the MFLEX one-application incentive program), workforce development, permitting coordination, and infrastructure support for businesses expanding or relocating to Mississippi. It delivers its services at no direct cost to businesses through dedicated project managers who build tailored action plans spanning state, local, and educational resources.
Product overview
The Mississippi Development Authority is Mississippi's state economic development agency offering a unified portfolio of services to support business growth. The core offering consists of economic development consultation, workforce development programs, and the MFLEX streamlined tax incentive program. The organization provides site selection assistance across industrial sites and mega-sites, infrastructure and permitting support, and specialized assistance for key industries including aerospace, advanced manufacturing, automotive, chemicals, forestry, energy, logistics, shipbuilding, and agribusiness. Success stories featured include Relativity (aerospace with 3D printing and AI), VT Halter Marine (shipbuilding), and Biewer Lumber (forestry).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- MFLEX: Mississippi's Flexible Tax Incentive Plan - a one-of-a-kind one-application incentive program offering a universal Mississippi tax credit
Products and services
- MFLEX (Mississippi Flexible Tax Incentive Plan) A one-of-a-kind, one-application incentive program offering a universal Mississippi tax credit that businesses can use flexibly for their project needs. Designed for companies expanding or relocating to Mississippi.
- Economic Development Services Comprehensive economic development services including site selection assistance, workforce development, tax incentives, and infrastructure support for businesses expanding or relocating to Mississippi.
- Site Selection Services Assistance with identifying optimal locations for business operations, including access to available sites, buildings, and mega-sites throughout Mississippi, delivered via a GIS-based property search tool.
- Workforce Development Programs connecting businesses with a trained workforce through partnerships with educational institutions, apprenticeships, and training programs such as Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
- Industry-Specific Support Specialized support for key industries including Advanced Manufacturing, Aerospace and Defense, Agribusiness, Automotive, Blue Economy, Chemicals, Forestry, Energy, Logistics, and Shipbuilding.
- Minority & Small Business Loans Loan and credit support programs for minority-owned and small businesses in Mississippi, including the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI).
- Mississippi Mega-Sites Pre-permitted, infrastructure-ready large industrial mega-sites marketed to enterprises for major capital investment projects across Mississippi.
- International Business and Exports Support Support for attracting international business investment into Mississippi and assisting Mississippi-based companies with exports, including the federally funded State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) at $433,333 in program cost.
Companies that use Mississippi Development Authority
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Mississippi Development Authority technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Mississippi Development Authority partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- University of MississippicoreThe Mississippi Development Authority partnered with the University of Mississippi to identify and extract lithium from the Smackover Formation. This collaboration leverages university geologic mapping expertise to guide direct lithium extraction efforts, aiming to establish a critical minerals industry in Mississippi and support national energy independence.
- NASA John C. Stennis Space CentercoreMDA works with NASA's Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, Mississippi, which provides infrastructure for aerospace testing and manufacturing operations. Relativity Space operates at the Space Center under a 20-year exclusive contract.
- Mississippi Gulf Coast Community CollegeminorMDA facilitates partnerships between businesses and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College for workforce training apprenticeships. Halter Marine created jobs and training apprenticeships through this partnership, with 10 students per discipline across five disciplines.
- Local Government EntitiescoreMDA collaborates with county economic development authorities and local governments across Mississippi to provide tax incentive programs, infrastructure improvements, and economic development assistance for business projects.
- U.S. Coast GuardcoreThrough VT Halter Marine, MDA supports a $745 million Coast Guard contract for the Polar Security Cutter program, representing one of the largest shipbuilding investments in Mississippi's history.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Mississippi Development Authority competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Alabama Department of Commerce: Alabama's lead state economic development agency, directly competing with MDA for the same Southeastern manufacturing, aerospace, and automotive investment projects. Both agencies offer site selection, incentive negotiation, and workforce development for businesses relocating or expanding in the region.
- Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development: Tennessee's state economic development counterpart, competing with MDA for automotive, advanced manufacturing, and logistics projects in the Mid-South. Operates the same model of site selection, incentive packages, and workforce development.
- South Carolina Department of Commerce: South Carolina's state economic development counterpart, focused on automotive, advanced manufacturing, and aerospace recruitment in the Southeast. Direct competitor to MDA for major capital projects and operates analogous incentive and workforce programs.
- Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development: Kentucky's state economic development authority with comparable automotive, logistics, and manufacturing focus in the Southeast/Mid-South. Offers a parallel package of site selection, tax incentives, and workforce training that directly competes with MDA.
- Georgia Department of Economic Development: Georgia's state economic development agency, competing for film, automotive, logistics, and advanced manufacturing investments in the Southeast. Operates a similar model to MDA across incentive design, global business recruitment, and workforce development.
- Louisiana Economic Development: Louisiana's primary state economic development agency, directly competing for petrochemical, shipbuilding, aerospace (driven by NASA/Michoud), and Gulf Coast industrial investment. Closely parallels MDA's coastal industrial recruitment and incentive structure.
- North Carolina Department of Commerce: North Carolina's lead economic development agency, recruiting in advanced manufacturing, biotech, aerospace, and data centers in the Southeastern U.S. Functions comparably to MDA in target industry, incentives, and workforce development structure.
- Arkansas Economic Development Commission: Arkansas's state economic development agency, directly comparable in scale and target industries (advanced manufacturing, agribusiness, logistics) within the Mid-South region. Competes head-to-head with MDA for relocating businesses across the I-20/I-55 corridor.
Broad incumbents
- Florida Department of Economic Opportunity: Florida's much larger statewide economic development agency, with broader portfolio and resources, but operating a similar incentive-based recruitment model. Less direct overlap because of size, but competes for the same pool of corporate site selectors.
- Virginia Economic Development Partnership: Virginia's state economic development authority, broader in scope and resources but operating a near-identical business-attraction model covering incentives, workforce, and site selection. Competes with MDA in advanced manufacturing, logistics, and aerospace.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Mississippi Development Authority social profiles
Digital presenceMississippi Development Authority financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mississippi Development Authority leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Mississippi Development Authority funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Mississippi Development Authority M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Mississippi Development Authority
What does Mississippi Development Authority do?
The Mississippi Development Authority is the state of Mississippi's lead economic development agency, providing site selection assistance, tax incentive negotiation (including the MFLEX one-application incentive program), workforce development, permitting coordination, and infrastructure support for businesses expanding or relocating to Mississippi. It delivers its services at no direct cost to businesses through dedicated project managers who build tailored action plans spanning state, local, and educational resources.
Is Mississippi Development Authority a public or private company?
Mississippi Development Authority is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Mississippi Development Authority founded?
Mississippi Development Authority was founded in 1936. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Mississippi Development Authority based?
Mississippi Development Authority is headquartered in Jackson, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Mississippi Development Authority's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Alabama Department of Commerce, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, South Carolina Department of Commerce, Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, Georgia Department of Economic Development, Louisiana Economic Development, North Carolina Department of Commerce and Arkansas Economic Development Commission. Broad incumbents are Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and Virginia Economic Development Partnership.
Does Mississippi Development Authority have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mississippi Development Authority.
What industry is Mississippi Development Authority in?
Mississippi Development Authority's product category is Economic Development Agency Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIABAO, State/Provincial Licensing, Permitting & Regulatory Administration (Cross-sector). Its NAICS code is 92611.