There’s an adage that the three most important things in real estate are location, location, location.

That idea — that where you are can be instrumental to your success — rings true for many companies around East Mississippi.

Some of those businesses were established in Meridian and Lauderdale County decades ago, and have expanded to other parts of the United States, while others started elsewhere before coming to East Mississippi.

On one level, the numbers tell the story. According to the East Mississippi Business Development Corporation, Meridian is located within a day’s drive of 55 percent of the U.S. population.

The city is located at the intersection of two major interstates (I-20 and I-59), three US highways (US 11, US 45, and US 80), and two major state highways (Mississippi 19 and Mississippi 39), according to the EMBDC.

On another level, many East Mississippi businesses thrive because of the region’s strong workforce and proximity to training and educational resources.

‘Right in the middle of where we need to be’

Nash, Texas-based BWI Companies, Inc., which distributes lawn, garden and horticulture products, made the move to Marion last summer.

Its Mississippi facility was based in Jackson for 36 years, but the company outgrew that site and needed to move east.

The center in Marion, which covers 90,000 square feet, serves the southern half of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, as well as the panhandle of Florida. A facility in Memphis serves the northern halves of those states.

Moving to Marion has benefitted the business, said Billy Key, a division manager with BWI who runs the facility.

“It’s been great,” Key said. “We’re right in the middle of where we need to be. We like being right off the Interstate.”

“The labor pool has been good,” Key added. “People seem to want work.”

‘A really good work ethic’

At Structural Steel Services, President and CEO Tommy Dulaney says Meridian is the ideal place to do business for many reasons.

Quick access to Interstates 20 and 59 and the Meridian Regional Airport are among those.

“Our customers are scattered all over the country,” said Dulaney, who has led the company since 1975. “So we need to be close to an airport. We have job sites all over the country. If they are having a problem, we can be there within two or three hours and figure out what the problem is.”

A loyal and hardworking pool of employees is another benefit of being located in East Mississippi, Dulaney said. With six plants employing about 300 workers, the company, which provides industrial projects with fabricated structural, plate work and miscellaneous steel, does about $100 million in annual business.

“Our workers come from about a 45- or 50-mile radius of Meridian,” Dulaney said. “And they have a really good work ethic. We have so many employees that have been with us since the early years, and they are retiring now after 35 or 40 years. And, the parent may be retiring, but we have a son or daughter working here that their father or mother worked here.”

‘When they grew, we grew’

Being headquartered in East Mississippi has also been good for Glass Inc., which opened its corporate office in 1999 on Grand Avenue in Meridian before expanding to Gulfport and Foley, Alabama. The company, which specializes in commercial and residential glass and glazing systems, has done work all over the Southeast. If you’ve visited the Beau Rivage Casino and Resort in Biloxi, or stopped by Meridian City Hall, you’ve seen their work.

“The most beneficial thing about Meridian has been the relationships we’ve made,” said Kristen Smith, the company’s director of marketing. “There are a lot of successful business people in Meridian. My dad, Robert (president of Glass, Inc.), started a relationship with Yates Construction back in the late 80s – early 90s. Having that relationship with them over the years…when they grew, we grew.”

‘A mutually beneficial relationship’

Waters International Trucks continues to thrive since it expanded to Meridian in 1977, according to Josh Waters, vice president of Waters and the great-great grandson of Raymond Waters Sr., who founded the company in Columbus in 1938.

The company sells and services International trucks, commercial vehicles, class four through eight, 15 different trailer bodies, school buses and Jerr-Davis wrecker bodies. In addition to sales and service for trucks and other commercial vehicles, Waters sells hunting stands, ATVs and logging equipment.

“When we as a company made the decision to expand, number one — Meridian was a big opportunity for us,” Waters said. “And once we came into Meridian and exercised our business model, of doing every last thing we can to put a customer first, and giving them first class service, Meridian was very good to us and became very loyal.”

“It’s very much a mutually beneficial relationship,” Waters added. “We believe that we’re able to take care of the customer and the customer likes the way we take care of them.”

The company’s customers aren’t the only ones who are loyal. A big part of Waters’ success is its employees, Waters said.

“We’re very privileged to have the workforce we have,” he said. “There was a point, just a few years ago that our average tenure of employment was 26 years. I think that says a lot about two things. It says we’re doing something right for our employees, but our employees also like what we’re doing.”

‘Tremendous opportunity’

At Southern Pipe and Supply, being located in the Queen City has paid off in droves, according to Doug Kennedy, manager of the Meridian branch.

“Meridian has definitely been a huge part of the success of Southern Pipe,” Kennedy said via email. “When Louis Davidson immigrated to the United States in the early 1900s, he opened up a small scrap metal business in Meridian called ‘St. Louis Junk Company’. That name was a reflection of his ambition to expand beyond Mississippi. In 1938, the railroads that run through Meridian delivered Louis his first carload of steel pipe, and ‘Southern Pipe and Supply’ was born.

According to Kennedy, Meridian’s central location and, in the early times, its relation to the railroads brought tremendous opportunity to the company. As Southern Pipe and Meridian have both grown, the railroads and interstate conduits continue to provide expansion capabilities and logistical advantages. The company’s central distribution center is located in Meridian and services over 110 locations throughout the Southeast.

By The Numbers: Distance to regional markets

Location            Miles from Meridian

Atlanta              297

Birmingham     154

Dallas              493

Jackson             93

Memphis          231

New Orleans    202

Source: East Mississippi Business Development Corporation

“Our ability to service those locations hinges strongly on our ability to get our trucks on and off the highways quickly,” Kennedy said.

Another part of Southern Pipe’s success is the local workforce, Kennedy added. “At Southern Pipe, we don’t have employees, we have family members,” he said. “Our family members in Meridian are among the best in the industry. They embody our core values and represent the company respectably within our community.”

Another asset to being located in Meridian, according to Kennedy, is access to educational opportunities.

“The local colleges have also proven valuable in providing educated, determined candidates to our Distribution Development Program (DDP),” Kennedy said. “These candidates come to us with a four-year degree and an ambition to prove their value. We’ve hired graduates from MSU Meridian, ECCC, EMCC, and others in our immediate area. Many of these individuals began their studies at Meridian Community College, then went on to finish their education at a full university. We are thankful for the effort of our area teachers and professors to cultivate and develop quality applicants who will ensure our continued growth.”