(Jackson, Miss.) – Innovate Mississippi announces that its 2017 Discovery Luncheon series will kick-off in Laurel, and as a first-time event for Jones County. It will be held Thursday, February 2, at The Gables from 11:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.
Discovery Luncheons are community-based events held throughout the state designed to spotlight Mississippi’s rich entrepreneurial culture. The Laurel Discovery Luncheon is organized by Innovate Mississippi alongside Fuse.Cloud, and the presenting sponsor is Sanderson Farms.
“Laurel is a hotspot of innovation right now,” said Sandra Buckley, director of marketing for Innovate Mississippi. “But equally important is Laurel’s impressive history of visionaries who helped pave the way for new innovators and businesses. And that’s a message that should be celebrated and shared. So, bringing a Discovery Luncheon to Laurel is a natural fit.”
The luncheon’s theme is “Building the Workplace of Tomorrow,” and it will feature a panel of three distinguished executives – Rachel Johnson of Howard Industries, Robin Robinson of Sanderson Farms and Gary Watts of Fuse.Cloud – who will each discuss how they are transforming their work environments into ones that encourage innovation and are equipped to manage the challenges of the future.
“We are excited to bring our Discovery Luncheon format to Laurel,” added Tony Jeff, president and CEO of Innovate Mississippi. “Doing so in conjunction with Sanderson Farms and Howard Industries – two of Mississippi’s premier entrepreneurial success stories – is particularly exciting. We hope to also uncover some other great entrepreneurs in the community and to help connect the community to statewide innovation activity.”
“We are thrilled to be sponsoring our second Discovery Luncheon with Innovate Mississippi,” said Gary Watts, founder and CEO of Fuse.Cloud, a Mississippi-based provider of cloud-based business solutions. “With the all of the exciting entrepreneurial efforts going on in Laurel right now, I am quite honored to sit on a panel with two of the area’s original innovators, Sanderson Farms and Howard Industries. We always look for opportunities to shine a light on innovation in our state, and with all of the excitement budding in Laurel, it seems like the perfect place and time for this event.”
Registration and networking begin at 11:30 a.m. The lunch program will begin promptly at 12:00 noon. Time for Q&A with the speakers will be included. The event will conclude at 1:00 p.m.
To register or for more information, visit www.innovate.ms or contact Janet Parker, outreach and development manager for Innovate Mississippi, at jparker@innovate.ms or 601-832-8100.
Innovate Mississippi is a nonprofit organization with the mission to drive innovation and technology-based economic development for the State of Mississippi. Visit www.innovate.ms to learn more.