MDA names new deputy director

From The Mississippi Link Newswire

JACKSON – The Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) has hired a new deputy director for their agency. Officials there said Jim McArthur brings to MDA nearly 20 years of experience in business development, marketing and economic development.

Previously, McArthur served for three years as regional sales director for Itron, formerly known as SmartSynch. At Itron, a leading provider of energy and water management solutions for utilities, McArthur was responsible for marketing the company to utilities throughout the southeast U.S., as well as developing and maintaining relationships in the municipal and cooperative utility markets and with major utility companies such as Southern Company, Tennessee Valley Authority and Entergy.

Before joining SmartSynch, McArthur was director of business development for Yates Construction. In that position, he directed all aspects of business development for the company’s Gulf Coast Division, which encompassed the southeast U.S. He also served as a liaison to local, state and national economic development agencies and worked with local economic development agencies, as well as MDA, on major economic development projects. Additionally, he led marketing efforts for Yates’ healthcare, civil and military divisions and was involved in recruiting new businesses to Mississippi.

McArthur holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Mississippi, and he is a graduate of Leadership Mississippi. He has also served on the board of directors for the Mississippi Manufacturers Association and the Mississippi World Trade Center.