Jones County

What Jones County does

Jones County Chamber of Commerce, operating in parallel with the Jones County Economic Development Authority (EDA), is a community-based nonprofit located in Laurel, Mississippi that serves as the consolidated voice for local business, industry, civic, and government stakeholders across Jones County. Its core function is to recruit, retain, and support member businesses — providing advocacy, networking, workforce development programming, and economic development services for a membership base that includes large employers such as Walmart, Mississippi Power, Hunt Southland Refining, Laurel Machine & Foundry, Wayne Sanderson Farms, Cooperative Energy, and Dixie Electric, alongside a long tail of small and mid-sized local enterprises and civic organizations.

The organization's revenue mechanics are straightforward nonprofit chamber economics: tiered membership dues ranging from $300 to $10,000 depending on member size, supplemented by event revenue (mixers, ribbon-cuttings, annual meetings), sponsorship packages, and program fees. Programs include Career Coaches embedded in local schools to bridge employer needs with talent pipelines, the adult civic-leadership curriculum Leadership Jones County, and the youth-focused Future Leaders of Jones County initiative. The EDA entity handles site selection, industrial prospect outreach, and coordination with state partners such as the Mississippi Development Authority, Conservation Fund, and The Nature Conservancy to support infrastructure, conservation, and capital-investment project flow into the county (population ~68,685 as of 2021).

Operationally, the organization is lean (1-10 employees) and its competitive position rests on incumbency, relationships, and the difficulty of replicating a single, neutral convener across the county's stakeholder map. There is no proprietary technology platform; service delivery is relationship-driven and the underlying asset base is community trust, member rosters, and institutionalized government and employer relationships. Year founded: 1983 (per the recorded year_founded); the parallel EDA structure was recently formalized as a separate legal entity to ring-fence economic-development functions.

Name

Jones County

Legal name

Jones County Chamber of Commerce

Website

https://jonescounty.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Jones County Chamber of Commerce (with its affiliated Economic Development Authority) is a Laurel, Mississippi-based nonprofit that represents, supports, and advocates for local businesses, industries, civic organizations, and workforce initiatives across Jones County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN)

Keywords

• Economic development
• Chamber of commerce
• Workforce development
• Business networking
• Community development

Headquarters

HQ city

Laurel

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Tiered membership system offering various benefits including event access, directory listings, networking opportunities, and sponsorships at levels ranging from $300 to $10,000 annually.
2. Event Revenue: Revenue generated from chamber events, golf tournaments, annual meetings, and community events.
3. Sponsorships: Premier and tiered sponsorship packages for businesses supporting the Chamber and EDA activities.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Jones County operates as a chamber of commerce and economic development authority serving businesses and residents of Jones County, Mississippi. It delivers tiered membership packages, networking events, workforce and leadership development programs, career coaching, site selection and incentive consulting for prospective employers, and publishes local demographics and labor data to support business recruitment and expansion.

Product overview

Jones County (The Free State of Jones County, Mississippi) operates as an Economic Development Authority and Chamber of Commerce, offering a suite of services including economic development support, tiered Chamber membership programs, career coaching and workforce development, a searchable business directory, events calendar, and demographic data services. The organization connects businesses with resources for expansion, provides leadership development programs, and facilitates community networking through membership benefits at various investment levels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Career Coaches of Jones County: Career coaching program helping students with career exploration and workforce preparation
• Future Leaders of Jones County
• Leadership Jones County

Products and services

• Chamber Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• Laurel Machine & Foundry expansion created 7+ new jobs with $3.14 million investment
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Laurel Machine & FoundrymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2024120-year-old manufacturing company expanding operations in Jones County with $3.14M investment creating 7+ jobs; expansion includes 20,000 sq ft machining facility and 7,500 sq ft warehouse; represents significant local economic impact and corporate investment in the community
• Mississippi Development Authority (MDA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency supporting economic development projects in Mississippi; provides incentives such as the Mississippi Flexible Tax Incentive (MFLEX) program for companies expanding in the state; actively supports Jones County businesses like Laurel Machine & Foundry

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce: University-town Mississippi chamber offering tiered membership, business directory, and workforce/leadership programs comparable to Jones County's mix.
• Meridian/Lauderdale County Chamber of Commerce: East Mississippi chamber with overlapping membership tiers, business directory, and economic development services for a small-metro market similar to Jones County.
• Area Development Partnership (Hattiesburg): Combined chamber/EDA serving the Hattiesburg region; mirrors Jones County's dual Chamber + Economic Development Authority structure with similar membership, events, and recruitment services.
• Hattiesburg Area Chamber of Commerce: Regional Mississippi chamber serving the Hattiesburg/Forrest County area with membership tiers, economic development, and workforce programs comparable in structure and mission to Jones County Chamber/EDA.
• Greater Jackson Chamber of Commerce: Mississippi's largest metropolitan chamber running tiered membership, advocacy, and economic development across Hinds, Madison, and Rankin counties — directly comparable chamber-of-commerce business model.
• Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce: Coastal Mississippi chamber providing membership networking, economic development, and community programming — same membership-dues + sponsor revenue model as Jones County.

Broad incumbents

• U.S. Chamber of Commerce: National federation providing advocacy, programming, and resources that local chambers like Jones County rely on for policy and benchmarking — a broad incumbent in the same industry.
• International Economic Development Council (IEDC): Global professional association for economic developers; comparable in mission to the EDA side of Jones County at a much larger scale, shaping best practices and credentials used by economic development professionals.

Regional players

• Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce: Regional Alabama chamber operating in the same industry (membership chamber + economic development) but serving a neighboring state's market, not directly competing with Jones County.

Others

• Mississippi Economic Development Council: State-level association of Mississippi's economic developers and chambers; an ecosystem/peer body whose members include organizations like the Jones County EDA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/jonescountyeda
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCWIkpd9p-VHpogebB8vd5aQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/jonescountychamber
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eda-of-jones-county
• Instagraminstagram.com/jonescountychamber

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Jones County