Industry
Bay Springs maintains the small-city charm and convenience, but is not out of the way. At the intersection of four state highways (15, 18, 528, and 531), freight traffic and commerce flows steadily through the community. Freight is handled by MidSouth Rail Corporation and five major truck lines. Pine Belt Regional Airport, 40 miles to the south, handles air freight and passenger service to the area. Jackson International Airport is located 51 miles away. Key Field in Meridian is 50 miles northeast.
The city and county governments, along with the Bay Springs Chamber of Commerce and Jasper County Economic Development District, have formed an effective alliance to boost the region's industrial growth. The City of Bay Springs has allied itself with the Mid-Mississippi Development District of Newton, MS, which represents a six-county area in East-Central Mississippi (http://www.mmdd.org/). The District, with its full-time developer and staff, assist the local officials and organizations with industrial recruitment efforts and acts as liason to state and federal agencies.
The Jasper County Judicial District II Industrial Park is among the highest rated in the state, and is served by rail and full utilities. There are currently 123 acres open for development. Industries calling the park home include Peco Foods, Hol-Mac (two plants), HSI, Inc., McNeil Cabinet & Millwork and Buckley Newspapers.
In addition to those industries in the park, the major manufacturing employers in the community include Georgia-Pacific Corp., Monticello Hardwood, one other Hol-Mac plant, Peco Foods, and Hickory Hollow Farms. Membership in the Mid-Mississippi Development District keeps the community's name before prospective industries, all part of a continuous effort to keep the community growing and improving.
With adequate semi-skilled and skilled labor available, and an excellent industrial park, Bay Springs has outstanding opportunities for industrial development. These factors seem to indicate the economic climate is certainly strong enough to support growth and improvement for years to come.
Bay Springs is home to ten major employers, eight of which are located in the Phase One Industrial Park on Highway 15 North. The Phase Two Industrial Park, completed in 1998, currently has 100-acres of land available for industrial growth. The park is bordered by Highway 15, as well as county roads and is served by Kansas City Southern (KCS) Railroad.
The industries in the Bay Springs area, as of January, 2000, are:
Buckley Newspapers, Inc. - In addition to publishing the local weekly newspaper, this company publishes three other newspapers, as well as contract printing for other companies. They also operate a printing shop with state-of-the-art litho and color capability. They have been in operation since 1968 and employ 40 people.
Dalex, Inc. - Employing 311 persons, this company remanufactures automotive starters and alternators for various manufacturers, including General Motors, Ford and Caterpillar, as well as after-market suppliers such as AutoZone. Dalex has been growing and expanding in Bay Springs since 1987.
Fail Engineering - Fail Engineering Co. was established in 1967 by Joseph D. Fail originally to serve as an engineering consultant to local operating telephone companies participating in the Rural Utilities Service loan program. From inception, Fail Engineering Company, Inc., has provided the communications community with a broad array of engineering services dedicated to telephone companies (ILEC's), long distance carriers, CLEC's, ISP, VIDEO, state and local governments and other commercial concerns.
Georgia Pacific Corporation - The Bay Springs sawmill has been in operation since 1973, producing dimension lumber from locally harvested Southern Pine timber. The company works 110 persons producing the 1x4, 2x4 and 2x6 dimension lumber for the building industry.
Hol-Mac Corporation - A local industry, Hol-Mac has been a mainstay of the Bay Springs business sector since 1963 as manufacturer of heavy steel fabrication, hydraulic/pneumatic cylinders, and hydraulic/fuel tanks. As a valued supplier for major Original Equipment Manufacturers nationwide, Hol-Mac employs over 270 people in their three plants located in Bay Springs. In addition, Hol-Mac also manufactures its own line of Pac-Mac Refuse and Recycling Equipment, which includes knuckle boom loaders, rear and side-loading garbage trucks, mobile compacting refuse/recycling trailers, trash trailers, trash dump bodies and refuse containers. We are currently celebrating our 40th anniversary.
HSI, Inc. - Another local industry, this company specializes in custom-built hydraulic cylinders, supplying those products to a wide range of equipment manufacturers. They have been in operation in Bay Springs since 1976 and employ 43 people.
McNeil Cabinet and Millwork - This local company specializes in custom-built hardwood cabinets and woodwork for residential and commercial sites. They also do sub-contract commercial millwork. They have been in business since 1984 and employ nine persons.
Monticello Hardwood - This sawmill specializes in rough-cut hardwood dimension lumber, delivered to other companies for further processing nationwide. They employ 15 people.
Peco Farms, Inc. - A subsidiary of Peco Foods, this company manages the grow-out operation for the integrated poultry operation and produces all the feed for the broiler houses. The trucking operation for the company is also headquartered here. They employ 98 persons.
Peco Foods, Inc. - The city's largest employer, is located on Commerce Drive. Peco is the processing facility for an integrated poultry operation that includes grow-out and feed mill operations. The plant operates two shifts and employs 800 people. The company markets ready-to-cook poultry for the domestic and export markets. Peco has operated in Bay Springs since 1989.
Southern Industrial Contractors, Inc. - The new plant in the Industrial Park, this company performs material handling, heavy hauling and installation for industry throughout the south. Some of the services the company specializes in are conveyor construction, cooling tower installation and repair, HVAC systems and millright and industrial piping work. They have 15 full-time and 30 part-time employees.