Jackson Free Press

Mississippi Main Street Association directors, board members and city officials will gather on the first floor of the state Capitol, Rotunda D, for the organization's legislative breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, March 19.

"We hold this legislative breakfast every year to update the members of our legislature on MMSA's activities," Bob Wilson, MMSA's executive director, said. "We like to make sure our legislators understand what our organization does and how we're helping the community and our state."

MMSA is a nonprofit that that focuses on economic development, historic preservation and helping communities to develop their downtown areas. MMSA is part of the National Main Street Center, which operates 1,600 programs across the United States, including 51 in Mississippi. About 35 percent of MMSA's yearly budget comes from a Mississippi Development Authority grant.

"We work to produce jobs, bring in businesses and rehabilitate buildings," Wilson said. "Our goal is to fix up vacant buildings and put them back on the tax rolls, improve the quality of life in those communities, and bring tourists and investments back to downtown areas that are losing them. We keep up with small businesses and tech trends in the area and pass them on to local Main Street programs."

Originally from Greenville, Wilson, 65, is a Fondren resident who first moved to Jackson after finishing college in 1973. He attended Mississippi State University, where he majored in business administration. A part-time job with Deposit Guarantee National Bank in Greenville inspired Wilson to learn more about banking, but MSU didn't offer a banking focus at the time. He transferred to Delta State University in 1971, majoring in business administration with a minor in banking and accounting. He graduated from Delta State with a bachelor's degree in 1973.

In 1976, Wilson started his own business, Safeguard Business Systems of Mississippi. He eventually sold the business in 1991. Shortly after, he became director of marketing and sales at the Silver Star Hotel & Casino at Pearl River Resort in Choctaw, Miss.

Wilson joined MMSA as director of program services in 1998. He took over as deputy director in 2002 and then as executive director in 2005. He primarily works in Delta communities and the capital city. Wilson and other MMSA directors in Oxford, Columbus and Gulfport provide technical assistance, strategic planning and urban planning alongside local marketers.

"My favorite part of my job is giving communities hope of generating good quality of life and creating jobs within those communities," Wilson said. "As someone who is involved in downtown revitalization all over the state, I can say that I definitely see promise for Jackson. It really seems that the new administration here is firmly invested in revitalizing downtown Jackson, and I want to be part of it."

Wilson and his wife, Lisa, have a daughter named Storey, an MSU graduate entering a career in the film industry as a costume designer, and a son, Will Carter, a junior at MSU majoring in computer science.