STARKVILLE – After more than 20 years in the city, Southwire is set to expand its operations with a $256 million investment projected to create 128 new jobs.

The Golden Triangle Development LINK on Monday announced Southwire, a Georgia-based wire and cable manufacturer, is the company behind Project Jacket, the first successful fee-in-lieu project ever in Oktibbeha County. Its expansion will include a roughly 380,000 square-foot addition to the Starkville factory, located off of Highway 12, and new manufacturing equipment.

“Southwire’s growth here in Starkville shows their faith in the value of continuing to be part of our community,” Mayor Lynn Spruill said in a press release issued Monday by the LINK. “Their expansion will be the largest single economic development project that the city has seen, and it furthers the narrative that Starkville is a great place for business investment. Southwire brings over 100 high-paying jobs and increased value to our city, serving as the bellwether to other industries that we are open for business.”

The project will mainly create manufacturing jobs projected to pay above the average salary in Oktibbeha County, which will be in-line with regional manufacturing wages, said LINK CEO Meryl Fisackerly. She estimated the average salary for new positions to be about $64,000 per year.

Construction is expected to begin later this year and conclude in 2028, the press release said.

Starkville and Oktibbeha County granted fee-in-lieu tax agreements to Southwire, and it received additional assistance from the Mississippi Development Authority through Mississippi’s Flexible Tax Incentive program to encourage its expansion, the press release said.

In a fee-in-lieu agreement, companies that invest at least $60 million are exempt from property taxes for up to 10 years in exchange for a fee paid to the city, county and school district. State law dictates the fee cannot be less than one-third of what a company would ordinarily pay in taxes. The MFLEX program gives companies investing at least $2.5 million and generating a minimum of 10 jobs tax credits that can be applied over 10 years.

Southwire is expanding to accommodate industry growth associated with the construction of data centers nationally, Fisackerly said. Starkville’s location is ideal for reaching the company’s Southeastern customers.

“This is an exciting moment for our team in Starkville and for the community we are proud to call home,” Erik Adams, Southwire Starkville plant manager, said in the press release. “Southwire’s continued investment in this location reflects the company’s confidence in our people, our operations and the important role Starkville plays in supporting our customers.”

The LINK has been working with Southwire for this expansion for more than a year in a process that Fisackerly said was very competitive.

“I think it’s truly just as big if not bigger of a win when you get an expansion, than just a new greenfield development,” Fisackerly said. “Because (of) … what it means about your community and choosing to reinvest. … It’s important for everyone to realize that expansions are just as hard fought for as new announcements.”

Marvell Howard, District 3 supervisor and board of supervisors president, echoed Spruill’s excitement for the project.

“It’s always exciting to see an existing industry choose to grow right here at home,” Howard said in Monday’s press release. “Southwire has been a valued member of our community for decades, and this investment says a lot about the confidence they have in Oktibbeha County.”