VIDALIA, La. -Town officials got a &uot;positive response&uot;&160;from furniture company representatives they visited recently in Tupelo, Mayor Hyram Copeland said.

But he said the town is not close to making commitments with those companies to move to or locate a factory in Vidalia.

&uot;Some expressed an interest in looking at the area in the upcoming months, but they haven’t said exactly when,&uot;&160;Copeland said. &uot;We had a good response … but I&160;don’t want to give out any false hope.&uot;

In late July, Copeland and other local leaders went to Tupelo, the center of Mississippi’s furniture industry, to see what industries are looking to open satellite plants or relocate.

Macon Ridge Economic Development Region staffers helped Copeland send a proposal to a furniture company, but neither Copeland nor Macon Ridge Director Buddy Spillers would say which company.

The company is looking to employ up to 165 workers, including 10 to 15 machinists.

Copeland said Monday that he also hopes to take a group of the Miss-Lou’s officials and business leaders to Tupelo in the next month to study that region’s approach to bringing in new industries.

In July, Copeland visited the Community Development Foundation, a public/private partnership that recruits industries to several northeast Mississippi counties. He believes pooling efforts and resources will be the region’s best chance for bringing in business.

Other local leaders, like Natchez Mayor Larry &uot;Butch&uot;&160;Brown, have said they favor the idea, although getting industry leaders to support it might be difficult.

&uot;We’ve tried to do this several times, but our business and industry leadership won’t step forward,&uot; Brown said in a July article.