NATCHEZ &045;&045; Ask Natchez-Adams County leaders who attended Gov.-elect Haley Barbour’s Job Creation Summit earlier this week and they’ll tell you what they gained &045;&045; a new understanding of the importance of working together.

Barbour is formulating an economic action plan and, as part of that, a legislative agenda for the 2004 session.

So he invited business, government and education representatives to Jackson to give their input at the summit, which started with a Monday reception and lasted through Tuesday.

Fred Middleton, immediate past president of the Natchez-Adams County Chamber of Commerce, said the feel of the entire summit was that &uot;we are all Mississippians, and we need to move this (economy) forward together.&uot;

For example, one of the summit’s breakout sessions included a discussion of project three northeast Mississippi counties landed by working together.

&uot;They said, ‘Individually we can’t get it done, but together we can,’&uot; Middleton said. &uot;We need to work with Wilkinson, Franklin and Jefferson counties and Concordia Parish the same way.&uot;

Johnny Junkin, vice-chairman of the Workforce Committee of Barbour’s transition team, agreed.

&uot;If can bring back one thing from the summit that would be it &045;&045; that all got to be going in the same direction,&uot; Junkin said.

&uot;What I got from it was the determination by new governor to get everybody to work together … to come up with a plan for job creation,&uot; said Debbie Hudson of the Southwest Mississippi Planning & Development District.

In addition, Middleton said, there was a focus on the private sector and government working hand in hand … to create jobs&uot; &045;&045; for example, through training with local community colleges.

And at the summit, they got the chance to meet new contracts, including business leaders and newly elected officials, with whom they also hope to work closely on economic development in the future, said Supervisor Sammy Cauthen.

Also, Middleton said he took the opportunity at the reception to express the area’s thanks to officials who have worked together with local leaders in the past.

He expressed to Gov. Ronnie Musgrove and other officials the area’s appreciation for their help in attempting to engineer an employee buyout of the former International Paper Natchez mill.

Other attending the summit but could not be reached for comment included Mike Ferdinand, director of Economic Development Authority, and Natchez Alderman Ricky Gray.