Our Mission
To promote a healthy and sustainable Starkville and Oktibbeha County by enhancing the quality of life for all citizens through an aggressive and diversified approach for business growth and job creation, enhanced tourism and retirement opportunities, and involvement in progressive educational and other community initiatives.
What is the Partnership?
The Partnership is made up of four components: Starkville Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB), Starkville Main Street Association (SMSA), Oktibbeha County Economic Development Authority (OCEDA), and Starkville Area Chamber of Commerce.
Starkville Visitors & Convention Bureau (CVB) promotes the greater Starkville area as a tourist destination
Starkville Main Street Association (SMSA) promotes the greater Starkville area as a Mississippi Main Street community
Oktibbeha County Economic Development Association (OCEDA) promotes the creation and retention of jobs in the county
Starkville Area Chamber of Commerce focuses community resources on fostering economic and community development and enhancing the quality of life
Thriving communities have several common characteristics that set them apart from other communities. They include: a trained workforce with quality jobs available, a welcoming community that is clean, safe and offers many fun community events throughout the year, quality health care and schools, and a vehicle to bring together the assets of our community and leadership from the public and private sectors. The Greater Starkville Development Partnership was created for these reasons and remains invaluable for the future of Starkville and Oktibbeha County.
The visionary leadership provided by The Partnership is such an integral component of the vitality of both individual businesses and the Starkville community as a whole. The Partnership encourages the interconnection required to achieve growth oriented goals and impact that individual businesses could not execute without the creativity and support of The Partnership behind them. Additionally, the city would not be able to implement many of the events and visions for growth without the cooperative collaboration of local businesses and their unique strengths. We are so thankful for the solid foundation of leadership provided by The Partnership that unites us, keeps Starkville strong and guides our efforts for the greater good of the city.
Dunkington chose to get involved with the Partnership to invest in the future of the community through the shared goals and resources their membership brings. “With being a new business there is a lot of mentoring that comes from joining the Partnership. It is a way to network with other people who share the same goals and ask for help and advice regarding all aspects of owning a small business.” owner Brandi Herrington said.
The website that the Partnership promotes Dunkington through brings exposure and thousands of new customers to the area that have an appreciation of all things art. That coupled with the ability to be involved in many Greater Starkville Development Partnership and Main Street Association events downtown gives their business lots of foot traffic from visitors and locals alike.
Within in a day of posting my open position on the jobs board with the Partnership I had multiple inquiries about the position. Because of such a great response from the jobs board I did not have to post my opening in multiple locations. In the one month the position was posted I was able to interview multiple people and even select a highly qualified candidate for the position. Completing the form for the job positing was extremely easy and not time consuming. I am thankful the Partnership has the jobs board as an option for their members. When it is time for my agency to grow again, I will be using the jobs board to post my position again.
The staff wants to see you succeed. They truly have a heart for the business community and you can see the evidence of that in the multiple monthly events they organize. The Partnership makes a great marketing resource for your company through the newsletter, website, social media, and more. There is so much value in joining The Partnership and becoming a member of the business community.
I want to express my gratitude for the job board you provide to local businesses. As a member of the community and a business owner, I have found great value in using the job board to post job openings and find skilled professionals to join my team.
I want to commend your organization for providing such a valuable resource to the local business community. It can be a challenge for small businesses to find the right talent, and your job board has been instrumental in helping us connect with qualified candidates.
I will continue to use your job board for my hiring needs and will also be sure to recommend it to other business owners in the community. Thank you for all that you do to support local businesses and foster economic growth in our area.
We are proud to be Partnership and Main Street members. The Partnership has so many opportunities to get involved and promote your local business, and we are thankful to be a part of that downtown and near MSU!
& VICTORIA FERGUSON
Being a Business Investor in the GSDP has been an essential part of our growth, both economically and as citizens of the Starkville community. Having insight into Starkville’s ongoing civic development along with networking opportunities with other business leaders have proven to be extremely helpful tools as a new startup business.
Upcoming Member Events
Leadership Circle
Our Team
We work every single day trying to find more effective and creative ways to make our community a better place to live, work, and play.
We are proud to call Starkville: Mississippi’s College Town our home.
