For a man whose three-year salary was a combined $3, Leland Speed had a room of Miss-Lou business and industry leaders sitting on the edge of their seats Thursday.

Speed, the highly-renowned former head of the Mississippi Development Authority, was the keynote speaker to Copiah-Lincoln Community College Natchez campus’ industry appreciation luncheon.

Speed famously turned down the full salary of the MDA position when he led the state’s economic future, instead accepting only a $1-per-year salary.

At Co-Lin, Speed took the podium, sans notes, and proceeded to speak about his vision of the future of Mississippi and how industry will play into it.

The future, he says, will include an increase of service industry jobs and small businesses that rise up from virtual anonymity to achieve industry greatness, driven to success by passion.

As examples of the latter, Speed mentioned two of Mississippi’s best success stories, Franklin Furniture and Viking Range.

Both are examples of founders who had passion about their businesses and a love of Mississippi. And both have become industry leaders through hard work and the strong work ethic that many Mississippians possess.

Natchez and the rest of the Miss-Lou are poised to foster similar businesses, Speed said. The combination of the area’s culture, history, natural resources and people will be key to turning that into a reality.

If Mississippi continues the economic leadership begun by Speed, his advice and knowledge will be worth far more than the token $3 salary he earned; they will be priceless.