Meridian native Lisa Covington has a lot of loves in her life: Her family is one. Her two dogs, English Setter Grace and Springer Spaniel George, her hometown, and her job are three others.

Covington is a U.S. Customs Broker, and though she could make more money living in Miami, where most of her clients are, she chooses to stay in Meridian because of the friends she has here and the potential she sees for growth.

"I stay here because of the uniqueness of having so many friends that I've known since fourth grade or longer," she said. "That to me is so special. It's more special than making money."

As a customs broker, Covington helps companies import and export goods to and from the United States.

For her clients, Covington keeps track of all the many details involved in importing and exporting, such as tariff rates and laws about what types of items can be imported or exported to which countries. She saves companies money on their taxes and helps them make sure they're conducting their business within the parameters of the law.

With 10 years as a customs broker under her belt, Covington has learned a lot about economics, especially the economics of transporting goods, and said Meridian, with its interstate, highway, and rail traffic, is in a great position for economic development.

"This is a great area, with the development of the new industrial park and warehousing," she said. "There's a lot of potential here. If the community would embrace it we could create a lot of jobs."

Covington is proud of her accomplishments in business, especially "as a woman-owned business who has managed to make a living for 10 years doing something unusual," but she is even more proud of her three sons.

Covington's youngest son, Lewis Shepherd, is a senior at Meridian High School and has plans to go to MSU.

Her oldest son, James Shepherd, is a soldier with the U.S. Army 82nd CAB Brigade, and is currently deployed to Afghanistan, where he has been for 8 months.

Her middle son, Jonathan Shepherd, suffers from a developmental disorder called Williams Syndrome. Covington is exceedingly proud of her son, but wishes Meridian had more to offer for him.

Though Jonathan loves competing in the Special Olympics both locally and in Biloxi, short of that, Covington said activities for the disabled are hard to come by.

"There are not a lot of services in this town or area for disabled people," she said. "There's just nothing for them to do... That's been a difficulty."

Jonathan lives at Meridian Group Home, which Covington said is a wonderful place but has a years-long waiting list, and works at MIDD, which helps the disabled find temporary jobs with local businesses.

Her kids aren’t the only family members Covington is proud of. She wanted to send a special thank you to her dad, real estate developer Jimmy Covington, saying, "I'm proud of what he's done. I got my business acumen from him."

Covington said she is still getting used to the idea of having all her sons out on their own, and hopes she has been able to instill in them her philosophies on life: "Learning new things keeps you young" and "If you feel stagnated, open another door."