Jim Flanagan retiring as CEO of Desoto County Economic Development Council

If you look up the definition of economic development in the dictionary, it should probably say see Jim Flanagan.

Flanagan has been CEO of DeSoto County Economic Development Council for nearly 40 years and has been involved in just about every deal that has brought a major industrial prospect or expansion to DeSoto County.

Medline. Google. Amazon. Milwaukee Tool. Williams-Sonoma. Helen of Troy. xAi. The list goes on and on.

“It has been such a blessed experience for 38 years,” Flanagan said. “It has been great coming to work in the morning and to be a part of all of that. This is a team sport. It’s an economy that was built on the backs of a lot of visionary leaders and these same leaders continue to move this county forward. It is not hard to sell a company on why they should expand or bring their businesses to DeSoto County.”

Flanagan will be calling it a career at the end of June. While it will be tough to leave a job he loves, he will be moving to the Orlando area to be closer to his daughter and four grandsons, and another grandson who lives in North Carolina.

“I felt it was all in God’s time to join my daughter’s family down in Florida and to begin to enjoy a relationship with our four grandsons down there,” Flanagan said. “That’s where we hope to move at some time. So I am excited to see the grandsons, but not excited to leave here. It has been such a blessing. And as long as you enjoy what you do, it’s sort of hard to leave. But I just believe it is the right time.”

Flanagan worked as a landscape design consultant in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and served as planning director and then executive director of North Delta Planning and Development District. In 1988, he accepted the position of executive director of the DeSoto County Economic Development Council and later left in 1994 to serve as the head of the Jackson, Tennessee, Chamber of Commerce. He rejoined DeSoto County Economic Development Council in 1995.

“I thought  the pasture was a little greener,” Flanagan said. “You have to try that sometimes so you recognize that hit is actually greener where you left. So I was fortunate to be drawn back.. I essentially had two tours of duty here.”

Flanagan has also served as a board member of the Community Foundation, Olive Branch YMCA, House of Grace, the Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto Advisory Board, as president of the Mississippi Economic Development Council, and a founding partner of the Regional Economic Development Council. He is also a graduate of Leadership Jackson, West Star leadership program, the Economic Development Institute and Chamber of Commerce Institute of Organizational Management.

Flanagan was awarded the Spirit of Northwest Award in 2024 and has also been named as one of North America’s top 50 Economic Developers by Consultant Connect.

Flanagan came to work for DeSoto County at a time when  north Mississippi was experiencing a major population boom. He said his job was made easier by the county’s excellent school system, good road infrastructure, and leadership at county and city levels that were pro-business.

“The county was poised at that time to grow and capture those companies because of the leadership and vision of the supervisors and all of the mayors and the school district,” Flanagan said. “There were so many foundational pieces that the county had put in place, it really allowed for the growth to happen on a fairly fast but orderly manner.”

Jim Flanagan, President and Chief Executive Officer of the DeSoto County Economic Development Council makes the case to the Board of Supervisors for a free port tax incentive for Legacy Supply Chain Services in this 2016 file photo.  

 

Flanagan said DeSoto County took off as a prime location for warehousing and logistics around 1994 when Mazda North American Operations moved its parts distribution to DeSoto County.

“I would say that was kind of the benchmark when distribution and logistics came calling,” Flanagan said. “And the state of Mississippi also put together incredible incentives to go along with the elected officials at the county and city level who were so willing and able to provide the incentives and set the state for this growth to occur.”

Flanagan added that DeSoto County has been the recipient of some big projects over the years and that economic development leaders have been able to build a strong and diverse local economy.

“Diversification is the key,” Flanagan said. “It has been a mix of both community development and economic development. Here the diversification between warehousing and logistics, manufacturing, medical, retail and the residential growth has just created a very stable environment where companies want to be.”

He doesn’t see that slowing down any time soon.

“I just go back to the leadership that has always positioned itself in such a positive manner to make it easy to do business here,” Flanagan said. “That’s important. It’s also important to potential investors to see the stability of the tax base and the attention to public schools, recreation, and infrastructure. I just commend the county and feel just blessed to be a part of it.”

Supervisor Mark Gardner said Flanagan will be sorely missed, but wishes him well on his retirement.

“Jim wrote the book on economic development in Mississippi,” Gardner said. “He has been a great negotiator in bringing business and industry here. We say government does not create jobs, but we create an atmosphere conducive to businesses bringing jobs here. And Jim has helped us do that and has helped to create tens of thousands of jobs.”

Olive Branch Mayor Ken Adams said Flanagan’s fingerprints have been on more economic development successes in DeSoto County over the last 20 years than any other individual.

“Every industrial building in Olive Branch has Jim Flanagan’s fingerprints on it,” Adams said. “He helped broker the deal for all the large projects like McKesson, Milwaukee Tools - all of those he has been a part of from day one. He is just a fine professional gentleman.”

Southaven Mayor Darren Musselwhite said Flanagan is highly respected in his field and is the key person who put DeSoto County on the map with industrial developments.  

“I’ve worked closely with Jim Flanagan on many projects over my 13-year career with the City,” Musselwhite said.  “His work has created economic benefits for every resident of DeSoto County and we all owe him our gratitude.  His fingerprints will always remain here and we will continue to reap the rewards of his work in the future.  He is a man of integrity, gentleman and consummate professional. I will always treasure my time working with him and our friendship.”

Flanagan will be succeeded by Billy Klauser, senior innovation project manager at ERDCWERX, an intermediary that connects industry, academia and small businesses in cooperating with with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) and federal laboratories to streamline innovation, prototype development, and commercialization of research. Klauser also has served as financial resources manager and chief of economic development with Mississippi Development Authority, and in tax administration and compliance with Mississippi Department of Revenue.

“He’s got an incredible resume and brings so much financial and economic development talent and experience to this position,” Flanagan said.

Tripp Gouris, an investment analyst with Harvus Capital has been hired to serve in the No. 2 position.

“He will be heading in this direction in June as well,” Flanagan said. “I am really excited to welcome them on board.”

 

 

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