Raybern Foods to add 70 jobs in Lee County; A&W Custom Furniture to add 20 in Okolona
Two Mississippi manufacturers announced expansions this week through the Mississippi Development Authority, together adding 90 jobs.
Raybern Foods will invest $7.1 million in Shannon, in Lee County, and create 70 jobs, MDA announced Sept. 23. The company, founded in California in 1978, makes frozen and refrigerated deli-style sandwiches sold nationally and has operated in Shannon since 2015. It will buy equipment to add production lines, driven by increased demand and new customer contracts. MDA is assisting through the Mississippi Flexible Tax Incentive, or MFLEX, program, with support from Lee County. Raybern Senior Director Doug Hall said the expansion “will allow us to increase production capacity to meet growing demand for our products.”
A&W Custom Furniture will invest $2.2 million in Okolona, in Chickasaw County, and create 20 jobs, MDA announced Sept. 25. Founded in 2023, the upholstered furniture maker, which focuses on sofas and sectionals, has 72 employees across three production lines. The project includes buying its currently leased manufacturing facilities, adding a fourth production line and installing new equipment. The state is assisting through MFLEX, with support from Chickasaw County and the City of Okolona. Owner Craig Wedel said, “We are grateful for our community and everyone that has supported us on this journey.”
“Seventy new jobs and increased production capacity are the direct result of the environment we’ve created for businesses,” Gov. Tate Reeves said of the Raybern project. MDA Executive Director Bill Cork said, “When an existing employer is selling more and ready to reinvest right here at home, we move quickly to help.” Of A&W, Reeves called the company’s growth “another great Mississippi success story.”
The value of the incentives was not disclosed in the announcements.