Southern Miss Business Excellence Awards
Southern Miss Business
Excellence Awards
Friday, November 13, 2026 | Noon
Trent Lott National Center, Hattiesburg Campus
The Southern Miss Business Excellence Awards is an annual luncheon hosted during the fall semester that recognizes the Entrepreneur of the Year, and Alumni of the the Year, and the Young Alumni of the Year for their professional achievements. This event is hosted by the College of Business and Economic Development.
Meet the 2026 Honorees
Jim Rasberry
2026 Entrepreneur of the Year
A lifelong resident of Laurel and Jones County, Jim Rasberry graduated from Jones County Junior College (2003) and The University of Southern Mississippi (2005) with degrees in business administration. He also earned a Certificate in Financial Planning from Florida State University and holds FINRA licenses 6, 7, 63 and 66.
While attending Southern Miss, Rasberry founded Rasberry Financial Services (RFS). Since then, RFS has become a premier firm in the Southeast, offering investment and retirement planning services to individuals and businesses with more than $150 million under management. Rasberry has been named a “Leader in Finance” by the Mississippi Business Journal and served as a financial advisor in the National Football League Players Association advisor program.
He is also a partner in a historic real estate development firm that has renovated more than 220,000 square feet of commercial space in downtown Laurel. He is a partner in Laurel Mercantile Co., Scotsman Manufacturing Co. and The Heirloom and serves as co-host of The Heirloom Podcast.
Rasberry is passionate about his community and works to promote Laurel and the state of Mississippi. He has served on various boards, including the Mississippi Main Street Association and St. John’s Day School. He is a former chairman of the Economic Development Authority of Jones County and a former board member of Leadership Jones County and the Jones County Chamber of Commerce. He was also a founding member of Laurel Main Street, which promotes business development in downtown Laurel, and has served on the Laurel School District Board of Trustees.
Rasberry can also be seen on the HGTV hit show “Home Town,” which chronicles the revitalization of a small town in Mississippi. This involvement has led to his role in a national speaking tour, “Downtown Comeback,” which provides nationally recognized content designed to educate, inspire and motivate others to get involved in saving America’s small towns.
He and his wife, Mallorie, are proud to raise their two daughters, Lucy and Lottie, in downtown Laurel.
Thanh Roettele
2026 Alumnus of the Year
Thanh Roettele has more than 30 years of banking experience with Scotiabank and JPMorgan Chase. He currently serves as managing director and head of Mortgage Capital Markets (MCM) for Scotiabank, where he is responsible for the buildout of the bank’s wholesale mortgage platform.
In this role, he oversees the businesses responsible for coverage of nonbank mortgage, residential and multifamily originators, mortgage REITs and servicers throughout the United States. The MCM team partners with product specialists across the firm to deliver solutions for clients in areas such as credit, treasury services and investment banking. Prior to joining Scotiabank, he led JPMorgan’s Mortgage Finance coverage practice. During his career, he has financed more than $1 trillion, representing approximately 2.5 million individual mortgages. He was named a HousingWire 2021 Finance Leader.
Roettele has extensive experience across the financial services industry, including portfolio management, risk management, commercial lending, banking and credit analysis. He and his wife, Robin, have two daughters and one son.
Erik Hansson
2026 Young Alumnus of the Year
Erik Hansson is a regional vice president at Fisher Investments, where he has played a significant role in the firm's growth by personally securing more than $500 million in new client assets. Since joining the firm in 2017, he has advanced through several leadership roles, including vice president and regional vice president in the greater New York City area.
Originally from Sweden, Hansson came to The University of Southern Mississippi in 2013 as an international student. During his time at Southern Miss, he was actively involved in campus life, serving as a member of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, the Student Government Association Senate, and the Dean's Student Advisory Council. In his senior year, he founded the USM Investment Club. He graduated summa cum laude in 2017 with a BSBA in banking and finance.
Following graduation, Hansson relocated to Dallas, Texas, where he began his career with Fisher Investments as an account executive. After three years of strong performance, he was promoted to vice president, assuming responsibility for acquiring new clients. Two years later, he advanced to regional vice president in the greater New York City area, further expanding his role within the firm.
Hansson credits his experiences at Southern Miss, along with the relationships he developed with faculty and fellow students, for helping shape his personal and professional success.
He currently resides in Boca Raton, Florida, with his wife, Susannah, and their son, Max. In September 2026, Hansson achieved a lifelong goal of becoming a United States citizen.