STONEVILLE — “Great things are happening in Leland,” was the resounding message heard by all those in attendance for the Leland Chamber of Commerce 2023 Annual Meeting and Banquet.
City officials, business owners, community members and more gathered Tuesday, March 24, for the annual event held at the Charles Capps Jr. Entrepreneurial Center on the Stoneville campus of Mississippi State University Delta Research and Extension Center.
The evening commenced with a business showcase, silent auction and cocktail hour followed by the meeting and banquet which featured dinner prepared by Cicero’s Restaurant.
Regarded as one who has a passion for empowering youth, Leland native Dr. De’Suan Dixon was the keynote speaker for the evening.
As his biography stated, Dixon has over nine years of Division I coaching experience and has also served as the athletic director for the Boys and Girls Club of Central Mississippi.
The Jackson State University alum focuses on providing guidance and direction for sports programs, managing the recruitment of youth to participate in different sports activities and preparing sports camps for youth ages 5-18.
He currently serves as an assistant professor in the Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) at JSU.
In addition, Dixon is a personal trainer and a community advocate through the Dixon Training Academy, as well as The Dixon Foundation.
“We can’t always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future,” Dixon said in his keynote address, quoting former president Franklin D. Roosevelt. “Thank you Leland, Mississippi for building me up while I was young. You prepared me for my future.”
He proclaimed himself as a “proud product of Leland” and highlighted the value of important moments.
“I value the village I have been blessed with. Although I do not currently live in Leland, Leland will forever live in me,” Dixon concluded.
Outgoing LCOC president, Dr. Curt Lacy, introduced the presentation of the “Leland Downtown Playbook,” which was led by Mills & Mills architect Robert Miles and landscape designer, Brantley Snipes.
“Leland has a very exciting future ahead and we’re very grateful for the privilege of being involved here in the community for the last year as we look together at the things that contribute to the assets and the environment that make opportunities possible,” said Miles, who has worked with the LCOC over the last year to develop the “Leland Downtown Playbook. “You guys have a lot to work with. We’re showing you for the first time the result of your investment.”
Miles said summarily, the LCOC’s investment and that of its members encompassed the understanding and placency of the city’s assets along with data, creativity and strategy with respect to the Leland Downtown Playbook.
Strategy, he pointed out, essentially meant thinking about how to leverage the assets that exist in the Leland community such as the Christmas on the Creek event, the Rainbow Connection Bridge and sites of historical significance.
“This product has been created so that it can help to identify and grow opportunities,” Miles said further, highlighting the LCOC’s plans to begin distributing the Leland Downtown Playbook digitally. “Grab a copy of this online. It’s a really great tool to have as you begin to actually continue the conversations you started about growing private and public investment here in the community.”
Snipes emphasized the mission of making sure the playbook does not become one that just “sits on the shelf” as other projects have in the past.
She noted the pursuit of grants that will assist with executing certain aspects of the playbook with the help of Leland’s Historic Preservation Committee.
“We love communities that are ready to embrace their revitalization and the future that’s ahead of them,” Miles added. “So congratulations to yall on making this investment and congratulations for being an example to others because Leland is leading the way and this really represents just one small way that you do that. And, thanks for letting us be a part of it.”
Leland Chamber of Commerce 2023 Annual Meeting Award Honorees
Business of the Year Award: Vito’s Marketplace, Amy Virden, owner
Distinguished Service Award: Nancy Jo King
Community Service Award: Denise “Neecie” Mix
Achievement Ambassador Award: Sherry Smythe
Taylor Webb Award: Mayor Kenny Thomas
Educator of the Year Award: Dr. Ghia Vinluan
Police Officer of the Year Award: Jimmy F. Myree
Fireman of the Year Award: Rob Upshur
About the Leland Chamber of Commerce
Since 1968, the Leland Chamber of Commerce has been serving the community of Leland, Mississippi. The Leland Chamber of Commerce, Inc., is organized and incorporated for the purpose of advancing the civic interests of the City of Leland and surrounding territory; to promote integrity and good faith; to promote and develop equitable and progressive practices and principles in business, agriculture, and commerce; to acquire, preserve, and distribute industrial, commercial, agricultural, and civic statistics, data, and information; and at all times and in all activities to promote civic improvement of the City of Leland and surrounding territory. To learn more or join the chamber, visit us at www.lelandchamber.com.
