Dennis Seid, the business editor of the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal in Tupelo, writes about how the paper kept the “secret” 10 years ago that Toyota was going to build a manufacturing plant in the area.
Seid writes, “It was 10 years ago today, on a late Monday afternoon in former Journal editor Lloyd Gray’s office, that we met Barbara McDaniel for the first time.
“McDaniel, who retired on Friday, was then the manager of government relations and corporate affairs for Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America. Her presence at the Journal kind of gave us a big hint.
“For about a year, rumors had swirled that Toyota was coming to Northeast Mississippi. And for a year, economic development leaders, elected officials and Toyota officials didn’t have a lot to say.
“The response was usually along the lines of – and I’m paraphrasing here – ‘we don’t discuss potential economic development projects.’
“Barbara was kind enough to burst my bubble every time I asked if Toyota was looking in our area.
“We tried mightily to get somebody – anybody – to tell us that Toyota was looking at the Wellspring Project site. Lips were sealed tightly.”
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