Jackson Free Press

This is in the brand new issue of Fortune folks so its not up in the Search engines yet(In case you've looked. If you email me at [e-mail missing] I can email you the PDF. Spread the word. This sticks it right in the face of those Jackson naysayers. Please Pass it On! Here's the press release below.

Jackson, Mississippi's own Farish Street Entertainment District has been featured in the March issue of Fortune Magazine. The $80 million restoration project, which is being headed up by Watkins
Development LLC, was highlighted in an piece entitled "Blue No More".

Watkins CEO, David Watkins, says the article is a testament to how serious his company is about completing this much maligned project. "Farish street will indeed be something Mississippi can be proud of," he said. "This Fortune piece is a big deal for us. It's letting our neighbors know that we look for Jackson to be a destination location for tourists from all over the world."

Watkins Development and The Farish Street Group, a majority African-American investment group, assumed ownership in the project in November 2008. Plans are to have the first block completed in the fall of 2009 with a mixture of retail, restaurants, and entertainment venues.

"This article has restored some confidence back in this project locally," said Brad "Kamikaze" Franklin, Director of Media and Entertainment for Watkins Development. "However, it also puts a bit of pressure on us to produce, which is good. The residents of the district have heard enough promises."

**Fortune is a global business magazine published by Time Inc.'s Fortune|Money Group

Previous Commentsshow

I should probably clarify that it's Fortune Small Business magazine, not Fortune, in case someone is looking for it on the newsstands. Amy Haimerl, who is now an editor with CNN Money, wrote it after a recent visit here. I met her in Colorado when she was an intern of mine, and we soon became close friends. She was a young prodigy of sorts in both community-driven and business journalism and became editor of the Colorado Springs Business Journal right out of college. She later got into business journalism in New York, which she has alternated with being the no. 2 editor at Denver's alternative newsweekly (Westword), before she returned to NYC to work for Fortune and now CNN. We both met Todd about the same time in Colorado, and the three of us are great friends who have worked together on many projects (and alternated being each other's editor; she's the best editor of the three, I believe strongly). We all share her devotion to both community and a strong, intelligent business climate that helps local business strive. In fact, she came down in 2002 and helped us write the business plan to start the JFP. She's a huge supporter of Jackson and says she would love to live here some day. She also does everything she can to help get the word out that many special things are happening here to help us fight that bias against Mississippi that is too pervasive in the national media. She is a true friend of Jackson. We should give her the key to the city on her next visit. ;-)

DonnaLadd

Mar 15 2009

Great publicity! What is the timeframe for the project to open? I drove down Farish last week and it didn't appear that any construction was happening, so I take it the Summer 2009 completion date has been pushed back...

QB

Mar 17 2009

I can't wait to read it!

chip

Mar 17 2009

wow! I want to meet Amy sometime. True connections of business, community, and writing are exciting to me. And I am sending good thoughts to the new project managers of Farish Street - this piece of the city is the real key to the success of our city - if only because the happy memories of better times need to be brought back to life. Otherwise we are sitting with a commercial graveyard in the midst of this new prosperity and it isn't right. Plus, if we get enough momentum, folks from the suburbs will come down and enjoy night life, they will feel more safe.

Izzy

Mar 17 2009

F.H.our completion date has indeed been pushed back to the fall. Late September to be exact. One word. Recession. But as you drive down block one you will see that the buildings have been cleared for construction that will begin in late March/early April. It is indeed an agressive timetable. We will have the big JSU/MSU pep rally on the street Sept 4th

Kamikaze

Mar 17 2009

It aint about making people who hate jackson love us. They are closed minded so forget people from the suburbs.

NewJackson

Mar 17 2009

smart Kaze will the pep rally be both bands and will shops on farish street be open. one last question who idea was this because i likes.

NewJackson

Mar 17 2009

Thanks, NJ, but I disagree. Was talking recently to some folks who lived through the demise of the original Farish Street. They said that after desegregation, blacks would go shop where whites did, but whites didn't come shop at black owned businesses, so as a result, many went under. I think cross-commercialization from metro area into the city could bring good $$$. Just like tourist dollars on Farish St. from the new convention center can be a boon. Pep rally is grand. Kaze's the one with GOOD ideas for promotion and publicity. They put the right person in his job!

Izzy

Mar 17 2009

we need open minded people izzy, iam not saying only blacks should on be allowed on farish street, but open minded blacks and whites is who we should cater to beacuse it seems we cater to people who just are negative and dont wanna see jackson prosper anyway.

NewJackson

Mar 17 2009

Getting "butts in the seats" is what I do:-) but to execute it we indeed have input from DJP, JSU, and MSU. The Boom will be there and the street will be adorned with JSU/MSU regalia. There will be entertainment and a soft opening for the venues we have open. Ill be handling all the programming for the street as well as all PR and community issues. I'm also an investor/owner on the street. Kudos to David Watkins for giving young African Americans REAL opportunities to create generational wealth.

Kamikaze

Mar 17 2009

It'd be great if we could get some of the local businesses to set up booths for the event, ie local restaurants, shops, etc. Or is this primarily a soft opening/pep rally with a grand opening to come later? Oh, and thanks for sending me the article Kaze! It's already circulating my office.

chip

Mar 17 2009

NJ. We will be pushing Farish locally, regionally, nationally, and even internationally. The naysayers will be forced to eat their words once we produce. I don't do a lot of talking lol. Farish will be prosperous and. Safe. We've got some PR work to do because Memphis has "adopted" Elvis, B.B. King, the blues, and BBQ. We've got to take it back. I suggest you guys take the trolley tour. We do them every Friday from 2-4. It takes you through all of downtown and culminates with a tour of the King Edward. We're taking the facts to the people. Stop listening to the conspiracy theorists

Kamikaze

Mar 17 2009

Its a soft opening Chip. With a huge opening coinciding with the grand opening of the K.E. Its gonna be BIG things happening in jxn this fall. Just you wait! But we will have room for some kiosks as long as they don't clash with what our venues offer

Kamikaze

Mar 17 2009

NJ. We will be pushing Farish locally, regionally, nationally, and even internationally. The naysayers will be forced to eat their words once we produce. I don't do a lot of talking lol. Farish will be prosperous and. Safe. We've got some PR work to do because Memphis has "adopted" Elvis, B.B. King, the blues, and BBQ. We've got to take it back. You don't know how much good it does me to actually see this in print! Jackson can and should adopt so much- chicken, hot fish, our own blues legacy, our own bbq styles, even pig ear sandwiches (which you can hardly *find* anywhere else other than Farish Street- do a search on google), etc. It will be so good to watch it all happen!

Rico

Mar 17 2009