CDF Celebrates the 2019-2020 Year05/01/2020
Virtual Annual Meeting
You may view the Virtual Annual Meeting video here.
Community Development Foundation Hosts Virtual Annual Meeting This Year
Tupelo, Miss. (May 1, 2020) – With social distancing still in effect, the Community Development Foundation (CDF) will virtually host its annual meeting this year via social media. Typically held the first Thursday in May, CDF’s annual meeting and open house event has historically been an opportunity for all CDF members to gather and enjoy an evening of food and fellowship while networking with other members. The annual meeting portion of the event is required per the by-laws of CDF as it officially marks the passing of the gavel from the outgoing CDF board of directors’ chairman to the incoming chairman. It is also the time when the new CDF board of directors is announced, and accomplishments of the past year are reviewed.
CDF will release its virtual annual meeting this Friday, May 1, at 8:00 a.m. via its social media pages on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Sam Pace, CDF’s outgoing board chairman, will remark on CDF’s past year of accomplishments and statistics, including:
Chamber of Commerce:
- 50 ribbon cuttings
- 46 events held
- Over 720 IGNITE tickets sold
- Reach Campaign- surpassed the goal by $30,000 thanks to Reach chair Tollie White
- Ambassador of the Year Award recipient is Ashley Prince, marketing specialist for local MOBILE
Economic Development:
- 11 new and expanded industries in Lee County
- 625 jobs created
- $160 million in new capital investment
- $23.4 million in new payroll
- $17.5 million in cost savings and new sales growth to 26 of Lee County’s existing businesses
- Ranked by Site Selection magazine as #2 micropolitan in the U.S. for new and expanding industries for 2019 and named “Mississippi’s Micropolitan of the Decade” for ranking in the top ten for 7 years in a row.
“I am totally confident that North Mississippi will continue to experience much of its economic success due to the hard work and recruitment of CDF. My hat is off to you for all that you do,” said CDF Chairman Sam Pace.
Outgoing Chairman Pace will pass the gavel to incoming chairman Tollie White during the online streaming video. Tollie is CFO of Magnolia Business Centre and has served on the CDF board for several years. The following will be announced as the new CDF board for the 2020-21 year:
- Tollie White, Chairman, Magnolia Business Center
- Shane Spees, Chairman-Elect, North MS Health Services
- Sam Pace, Past Chairman, Digestive Health Emeritus
- David Rumbarger, President/Secretary, CDF
- Chris Bagley, BancorpSouth
- David Brevard, B & B Concrete Co., Inc.
- Kim Caron, Caron Gallery
- Kevin Chapman, Renasant Bank
- Bev Crossen, Farmhouse
- Shirley Hendrix, R & B Specialty Printing
- Tommie Lee Ivy, Lee County Board of Supervisors
- Charlie Kinney, NAPA Auto Parts
- Emily Lauder, Toyota Motor Manufacturing MS
- Mike Robinson, Hunter Douglas
- Kurt Shettles, McCarty Architects
- Aaron Washington, APlus Barber Shop & Salon/Saves Premier Grooming Lounge
- Josh West, Blue Delta Jeans
“We definitely have our work cut out for us as we embark to help our community recover from the implications of the COVID-19 virus. We realize there will be lots of work to do to stimulate our economy again and get our local businesses back operating. Please remember, we at CDF are here to support you and your business. We will all get through these uncertain times together,” said incoming CDF chairman Tollie White.
CDF plans to host its Open House event at a later date this fall. To access the virtual annual meeting on social media, visit:
About Community Development Foundation:
Founded in 1948, the Community Development Foundation (CDF) is the chamber of commerce and economic development agency serving Tupelo/Lee County. CDF’s mission is to create more and better job opportunities for our region. CDF is a nonprofit membership organization composed of civic, business, and professional leaders representing the region. CDF has been selected 7 times during 2010-2020 as one of the top 10 economic development agencies in the nation by Site Selection magazine, a leading trade magazine for industrial development consultants.
