* Real estate development is reportedly robust in southern Mississippi. Major construction projects there include high-rise condominiums from Biloxi to Pass Christian. The Hard Rock Casino and Hotel facility in Biloxi is a $250 million project scheduled to be completed this summer, and the Beau Rivage resort is constructing a $40 million golf course 15 miles north of Biloxi.

* Howard Industries, the largest employer in Jones County, with more than 4,000 employees, will open its new plant in the county's town of Ellisville this year. The firm, which manufactures large commercial electrical transformers, is expanding as a result of anticipated demand.

* Because of increasing demand, wood products companies Masonite Industries, Hood Industries, and Georgia-Pacific are placing orders for new equipment to expand production.

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