special: robust economy
Brookhaven’s
economy is
thriving due
to diversity
STORY BY ROBYN JACKSON
PHOTOS BY BOB PITTMAN III
Brookhaven is a small town
tucked into the quiet south-
western corner of Mississippi,
but it has a robust economy as a
regional retail and medical cen-
ter, and has even surpassed big-
ger cities like Madison and
Clinton in sales tax collections
this year.
“One of the best things about
Brookhaven is that we have a
very diversified economy. It
keeps us from having the highs
and lows of a community that
has only one industry,” said
Bill Sones, president of the
Bank of Brookhaven and direc-
tor of the Industrial
Development Foundation.
Top employers are the Wal-
Mart Distribution Center,
Delphi, King’s Daughters
Hospital, Lincoln County
Schools and the Brookhaven
Separate School District,
according to Sones.
6 6 • south mississippi scene
“It is this diversity that has
kept Brookhaven running
strong,” said Cliff Brumfield,
director of the Chamber of
Commerce. “Sales tax collec-
tions have set several records
for 2008. We’ve exceeded
Madison, Clinton and Starkville
during this year. For a city of
13,000, we feel that’s quite a
feat.”
Sones said Brookhaven actu-
ally has six prongs to its econo-
my: Oil and gas production,
manufacturing and distribution,
retail, timber, medical and
financial.
“Our county is always one of
the top counties for oil and gas
production,” Sones said. The
other top producer is Jones
County.
Brookhaven’s location on
Interstate 55 north of New
Orleans and Baton Rouge, La.,
northwest of Hattiesburg and
southwest of Jackson helped it
land the Wal-Mart Distribution
Center, which employs approxi-
mately 1,100, about 20 years
ago.
“We’re right in the middle of
that interstate system that you
need for distribution,” Sones
said.
And although the city is
small, it offers a variety of
retail options that serve the
region. Small businesses are the
backbone of the economy, and
the Chamber of Commerce has
approximately 700 members.
“We’re a one-town county.
We feel we serve a population
of 65,000,” Sones said, adding
that there are seven banks in
town, including the one he
founded in 2000.
Logging and timber sales also
help drive the economy. “We’re
in the middle of this yellow
pine timber region. Georgia-
Pacific is about 20 miles from here,” Sones
said.
Brookhaven, with its 120-bed hospital, also
serves as a regional medical center, Sones
said. “Most of the specialties are around here.
Our region is well-served by our doctors.”
It hasn’t all been positive for Brookhaven in
the last couple of years, however. A “reorgan-
ization” at the Delphi plant resulted in several
hundred people losing their jobs. “It was
something that hurt us because so many
employees lost health insurance,” Sones said.
But a third industrial park is currently
under construction, and Sones and Brumfield
expect to have no problem filling it when it
opens in mid-2009. The 400-acre Linbrook
Business Park will be located off exit 40 on
Interstate 55. It is being developed by an enti-
ty called The Alliance, which is part of the
Southwest Mississippi Partnership.With addi-
tional 16th Section land adjacent to the park,
it could eventually become a 1,000-acre park.
“This will be the premier industrial park
located in southwest Mississippi,” Sones said.
“The city and county both bid bond issues,
and we’ve had private money and federal
 funds that have been used in the
development. We’re all excited
about it.”
The certified retirement com-
munity seems to be holding its
own in the uncertain economic
climate that is affecting the rest of
the U.S.
“We realize that we all rely on
the strength of each other,”
Brumfield said.
“We are doing great, but we
can’t ever relax,” Sones said.
“Our challenge is to keep think-
ing of new ways to keep current
in our efforts. We’re definitely
affected by the economic down-
turn, but because our economy is
diversified, we’re probably feel-
ing less impact than most cities in
our state.”

6 8 • south mississippi scene