Site Selection/Infrastructure

The Aerospace and Defense Alliance of Mississippi (ADAM) is Mississippi’s industry alliance for aerospace and defense companies, giving the sector a stronger collective platform for advocacy, visibility, and business development. ADAM represents Mississippi’s industry on policy, hosts the annual Mississippi Aerospace and Defense Symposium, and joins GCBC and Hancock County Port & Harbor in carrying Mississippi’s story to the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs. ADAM’s growth from 12 members in 2021 to more than 60 today reflects the strength of Mississippi’s industry voice—built in partnership with MSET, which used a DoW-funded ecosystem study to transform its former membership structure into ADAM and create durable industry infrastructure for the state.

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The Gulf Coast Business Council (GCBC) is the region’s leading business advocacy and economic development organization, shaping priorities and amplifying the Gulf Coast’s competitive strengths in workforce, infrastructure, and industry recruitment. MSET collaborates with GCBC to position Mississippi’s aerospace, defense, and technology story beyond state lines—ensuring Gulf Coast business leadership is connected to statewide growth strategy.

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Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission operates Port Bienville Industrial Park and Stennis International Airport—critical logistics, rail, aerospace, and industrial assets located adjacent to NASA’s Stennis Space Center. Together with Stennis, those assets present the Gulf Coast as a coordinated innovation corridor with the infrastructure, runway access, and industrial sites that aerospace, defense, and maritime employers need.

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The Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) is the state’s lead economic development agency, driving the recruitment, retention, and expansion of businesses across Mississippi and serving as a founding partner in MSET’s public-private model. MDA aligns state strategy, federal assets at Stennis, and industry recruitment so Mississippi can compete for aerospace, defense, and technology projects with one coordinated voice. A leading example is the collaboration among MDA, MSET, and NASA to locate Evolution Space at Stennis Space Center—a concrete demonstration of MDA’s role in turning federal capability into state investment. MDA’s coordinated efforts have helped Mississippi capture more than $28 billion in DoD awards, $725 million in corporate investment, and over 2,700 jobs created across 200+ defense companies in the last four years.

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The Mississippi Manufacturers Association Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MMA MEP) is the state’s NIST MEP affiliate, delivering hands-on technical assistance, continuous improvement, cybersecurity, and supply chain support to manufacturers across Mississippi. MMA MEP strengthens the competitiveness of Mississippi’s aerospace and defense suppliers—helping them meet DoW requirements like CMMC, improve operations, and win more federal contracts.

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Mississippi Power is the regional electric utility serving 23 counties in southeast Mississippi, providing critical energy infrastructure and economic development support for industrial site selection across the Coast and Pine Belt. The utility’s reliability, capacity, and site-selection expertise are foundational to Mississippi’s ability to attract and retain aerospace, defense, and technology employers—particularly large-load advanced manufacturing and data-intensive operations.

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