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About The Center

The Lott Center for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship is a University Center program of the Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. It is located on the Hattiesburg campus of The University of Southern Mississippi. Established in 1989, the center is charged with marshalling the university's resources to promote quality economic and community development and to increase employment and income in south Mississippi.

The Lott Center for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship is the building block for a university-wide focus on economic development service and research that contributes to job generation and income growth for the state of Mississippi.

The center works to help public bodies, nonprofit organizations and businesses plan and implement activities designed to generate jobs and income. Special consideration is given to rural, impoverished areas of Mississippi. We emphasize client-requested assistance and offer expertise in strategic planning and leadership development, education and training, community analysis and research, and other technical support.

Services

The center engages in research, technical assistance and information dissemination. Research includes both basic and applied research in the areas of data management and community analysis. Technical assistance includes workshops and training sessions, technology transfer and client referral. Projects are accepted based on their potential to impact economic growth, employment and income in the Center's 37-county service area. Projects are generally conducted on a cost-recovery basis. Selected services such as workshops and data management are offered statewide.

Examples of recent projects include the following:

• Business Assistance Center in Hattiesburg
• Impact of USM's College of Science and Technology on the Local Economy
• Impact of the Biologistics Sector on the Memphis Economy
• Hattiesburg Area Apartment Survey
• Camp Shelby Joint Land-Use Study
• Jefferson Davis County Strategic Planning
• Copiah County Strategic Planning
• Lincoln County Strategic Planning
• Wage and Benefits Survey for the Mississippi Economic Development Council
• Covington County Marketing Assistance
• Electronic Marketing of Mississippi Industrial and Technology Parks
• Analysis of the Plastics and Polymer Industry Cluster in Mississippi

Recent workshops include the following:

• Workshop Series for the Louisiana Department of Economic and Workplace Development
• Rural Development
• The New South Economic Development Course

Katrina-related Projects:

·         Initial Impact Analysis of Hurricane Katrina

·         Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Sales Tax Diversions to Cities

·         Estimating the Population of Hattiesburg post-Katrina

·         Gulf Coast Tourism Inventory

For more information, e-mail Brian.Richard@usm.edu or Charlotte.Batson@usm.edu, or call 601.266.6067.