TRIBUTE - Matchbin

a conversation with
Moak on chamber partnership
“I think anyone who has employees
that come to work every day knows
that health plays an important role.
“If an employee is not able to come
to work because of illness, then whatever
that employee does has to be handled
by someone else or go undone. In
retail, that makes it harder for the
company to meet the needs
of its customers. Cost-wise, to provide
health coverage is a major expenditure.”
--Paul Moak
Paul Moak was recently named chairman
of the board of directors for the
Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership.
Moak is a Northsider and is owner of Paul
Moak Automotive in Jackson. He has lived
in the capital city since 1949 and is a
graduate of the University of Mississippi.
He is married with a daughter and son. He
recently spoke to Sun Staff Writer Anthony
Warren about his position and plans for
the new year.
How are things going since becoming
chairman?
“I’ve only got 12 days under my belt,
but there have been a number of meetings
and a lot of activities. The chamber is very
busy and involved in a lot of things in the
metro Jackson area, so it’s pretty much
been full speed ahead.”
What are your plans for the chamber
this year?
“Well, just because a new year begins or
a new chair comes in it doesn’t mean that
the chamber goes back to zero and starts
over. There are ongoing projects and initiatives
the chamber is involved with. I don’t
come in and create a new list of plans,
because there’s pretty much a defined list
already in place that the chamber works
with. There may be some new items that
pop up throughout the year and get a higher
priority, but that’s not because of me, it’s
because those items deserve higher priority.”
Tell me about some of the chamber’s
ongoing projects.
“One thing that you may be familiar
with is Leadership Jackson. For 20 years or
so, it’s attempted to bring together young
people from various backgrounds to go
through a year-long training process, with
the idea that they’re leadership in the community.
The program has been very successful.
We also have a subset of that,
which focuses on high school juniors and
sophomores, where they go through similar
training.
“One of our biggest areas of focus is
economic development. We try to serve as
a one-stop shop of sorts for businesses
considering relocating or starting in this
part of the country. Rather than having
chambers in the metro compete, we try to
serve as a regional umbrella to show businesses
every side of town. That’s one of
the areas the chamber is involved with
daily.
“Another area is healthcare, which is a
big part of the economy in Mississippi and
the region. The chamber right now is
involved in how we can take something
that is very good and make it better. In
Mississippi, we don’t rank very well in a
lot of areas. Obesity is one area where we
rank number one. There is a tremendous
cost associated with the problem, as well
as numerous health issues. In the past year,
the chamber co-hosted an obesity summit
with the University of Mississippi Medical
Center, where leaders from around the
world came to our convention center and
focused on what we can do to move our
state in a more positive direction.”
Is health and wellness an issue the
chamber will focus on again this year?
“Yes, even more so than we have in the
past. We think about healthcare from the
standpoint of not only quality of life, but
job creation. When we have some big
company move here and build a plant, it
creates jobs. But when a doctor goes into
practice, he or she is also creating jobs and
providing opportunities. Mississippi,
according to many people who analyze the
numbers, is underserved by the medical
community. The chamber wants to work to
see what can be done to provide better
medical service to Mississippi residents.
We’re also working to raise awareness
about developing healthy habits, so we can
lessen the difficult medical problems that
people have down the road.”
As a business owner yourself, what
role does health and wellness play in
regard to cost and employees?
“I think anyone who has employees that
come to work every day knows that health
plays an important role. If an employee is
not able to come to work because of illness,
then whatever that employee does
has to be handled by someone else or go
undone. In retail, that makes it harder for
the company to meet the needs of its cus-
Page 3A
tomers. Cost-wise, to provide health coverage
is a major expenditure. Companies that
are able to promote wellness can reduce
health costs because their employees are
healthier, have fewer insurance claims,
and, as a result, lower premiums.
Employees that are healthy are also more
productive at work.
“On Saturday, January 22, we’re having
our second Heart Beats of Jackson, an
event in which different hospitals from the
metro area come together at the Trade Mart
and provide a free day of cardiovascular
screening. Last year, we were able to provide
that service to 350 people. This year,
we’re targeted to have more than 400. All
the doctors and hospitals that participate
donate their time and equipment. There are
other experts at the event as well, which
helps people learn about making healthier
decisions, cooking better and exercising
better. It’s all free of charge, but you have
to call in and get one of the 400 slots that
are available.”
If people are interested in attending,
who do they need to call?
“Call the Greater Jackson Chamber
Partnership and ask for Cynthia Caine. The
number is (601) 948-7575. We had about
100 slots left as of last Wednesday.”
In 2010, several chamber members
went to China. Did anything come of the
trip?
“Yes and no, not in the terms of forming
direct business relationships. The purpose
of the trips is to expose people who choose
to go to the cultures and business operations
in a different part of the world. China
is major player on the world’s economic
stage and will be more so going forward.
We had linkage to the Chinese government
and chamber of commerce and what we
were able to see for the price we paid was
remarkable. About 70 people attended the
trip. We also took a similar trip to Egypt
last fall to see how that country’s culture
works.”
Is the chamber sponsoring any international
trips in 2011?
“We have a second group expected to go
See Paul Moak, Page 11A