NATCHEZ &045;&045; Months of work by a number of public agencies and private interests go into landing a new industry or expansion like the Kinard Group, according to economic development officials.

&uot;It’s a team effort. There were a lot of players in the community whose dedication and work made this happen,&uot; said Michael Ferdinand, executive director of the Natchez Adams County Economic Development Authority. &uot;This community pulled together and closed the deal.&uot;

Woody Allen, chairman of the EDA board, agreed. In landing the Kinard Group, Allen said, &uot;we had the city, county, a portion of the medical community and real estate people coming together at different times to make that happen.&uot;

And just because the EDA and its partners are often silent about prospects doesn’t mean such work is not going on, Allen said.

&uot;Most all of the projects we work on, especially those that are larger projects, always have confidentiality agreements,&uot; Allen said.

&uot;If a company has offices in other communities and may be considering closing one of its locations, it won’t want the word to get out so its employees there won’t be in jeopardy.&uot;

Months of work go on behind the scenes to land such a prospect, Allen said.

Once the EDA receives a lead from another agency, business or individual, it’s essential that economic development officials meet as soon as possible with the prospect to determine that company’s needs.

&uot;The most critical thing, in my opinion, is trying to determine what it is that the people want to do and what they need to make their operation a success,&uot; Allen said.

That varies from company to company. For example, if a company does not anticipate making a profit in its first five to 10 years, offering tax breaks does not make much sense.

For some companies, such tax abatements could be a key incentive; for others, finding the right location, finding startup money or getting a break on lease rates could be helpful.

&uot;It’s all about assessing the things that are important to that particular project and trying to tailor your proposal to meet those needs,&uot; Allen said.

&uot;As rule, you generally know what (land) is available. If it’s in the county, you go to the county (supervisors); if it’s in the city, you go to the city. Or if it’s something that requires a grant,&uot; you go to that agency, Allen said.

&uot;Both the city and county have been very cooperative in trying to land industries,&uot; he said, while declining to detail what specific groups contributed to land Kinard. &uot;It just requires time.&uot;

Ferdinand pointed out that in Mississippi statistics show that communities have about a 3 percent chance of landing a project. &uot;We went through 32 other projects &045;&045; big, small &045;&045; before this one landed,&uot; Ferdinand said. &uot;What the community sees is the net result, not all the work.&uot;

And representatives of the company could visit Natchez many times to get a feel for community and what it can offer them. That included multiple visits over several months, in the Kinard Group’s case.

&uot;It takes coordinating schedules,&uot; Allen said. &uot;You’ll set up a meeting for 10 o’clock on Wednesday and then it’s ‘Well, we can’t meet Wednesday after all. How about next Wednesday?’&uot;

Meanwhile, EDA officials meet with city and county officials &045;&045; often in executive session, due to confidentiality agreements &045;&045; to brief them on the project’s progress.

While he would not give specifics, Allen did say that, including possible expansions or new industrial locations, the EDA working on about 25 projects at the present time.