The I-20/59 Industrial Park in rural Lauderdale County has a new name.

The site was officially rechristened The Key Brothers Industrial Park during a ceremony Wednesday morning.

“We put some thought into it – we were looking for something that told a great story,” said Jonathan Wells, president of the Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors before a ribbon cutting on the land. “Ultimately, we came back with a story that’s hard-working, shows endurance and does what it takes to get the job done.”

The Key Brothers º Fred and Al Key – are known for setting a world record 27-day endurance flight in Meridian in 1935. They also invented an airplane refueling valve that the military still uses today, with some modifications.

The city’s Key Field, a joint use public/military airfield, bears their name.

The newly-named 360-acre Key Brothers Industrial Park has been under development for the past year near the Intersection of Interstates 20 and 59 and Sweet Gum Bottom Road. County work crews cleared trees and leveled the land, as each side had varying elevations. In March, a $3.5 million state bond was issued to offset those costs to the county.

Now that the land is ready, the next step is marketing the site, said Bill Hannah, president of the East Mississippi Business Development Corporation.   

No specific tenants have been announced, but possible industries could include advanced manufacturing, steel, distribution, or others, Hannah said. The site could hold a variety of facilities of different sizes, he said.

Consultant J. Michael “Mike” Mullis, whose Memphis-based company selected the land as a site for economic development, gave an update on the property during the EMBDC’s annual meeting on Wednesday.

“We’ve watched this park be developed,” Mullis said. “This park is only a symbol, though. It doesn’t get projects. It doesn’t get deals. You’ve got to have it, but without it, you won’t see that opportunity.”

Erin Kelly contributed reporting.