Page 24 - South Mississippi Living - December, 2015

COASTNOTES
VOLUNTEERS
Gulf Resort Classic calling all volunteers
story by Lynn Lofton photo courtesy of Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic
Volunteers are now being recruited for next spring’s Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic Presented by C Spire. The tournament will be held March 28-April 3 with a purse of $1.6 million and a field of 81 champion tour players. Each year the MGRC enlists the help of nearly 1,000 volunteers during the week-long tournament to put on what has become the Mississippi Gulf Coast’s premier sporting event.
“Volunteers are the lifeblood of
the event, helping on more than 20 committees,” said Volunteer Services Manager Kaitlyn Norton. “Volunteers
can spend their time on the course as marshals or standard bearers, in the welcome center assisting patrons, or
on the driving range as they get an up-close look at the champion’s tour players warming up. Volunteers also have the opportunity to play Fallen Oak, the championship course, just like the pros.”
Each year the tournament benefits local charities, including Habitat for Humanity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Since 2010, the tournament’s economic impact to the area has been more than $70 million.
Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic Presented by C Spire 228.896.6365 www.2016mgrc.com
Gulf Coast Business Council
11975 Seaway Rd., Suite A120, Gulfport 228.897.2020 www.msgcbc.org
Ashley Edwards began serving
as president of the Gulf Coast
Business Council on December 1.
He previously was chief executive officer of the Hancock County Port
and Harbor Commission where he
led a team tasked with operating Port Bienville Industrial Complex, Stennis International Airport, the Port Bienville Short Line Railroad and the Economic Development Authority for Hancock County.
Edwards led the effort that resulted in the Commission receiving the Mississippi Economic Development Council’s 2014 award for excellence in business recruitment.
He also served on Governor Haley Barbour’s senior staff for six years, where he worked as deputy director of Barbour’s Office of Recovery and Renewal and was a key member of the team responsible for developing and implementing the State’s Hurricane Katrina strategic recovery plan.
A native of Petal, Edwards is an alumnus of the University of Southern Mississippi, where he received
his Master’s Degree in Economic Development, and Tulane University, where he received his Bachelor’s Degree. For his Master’s Degree Capstone Project, he completed a maritime economy economic analysis.
BUSINESSCOUNCIL Gulf Coast Business Council names
story by Lynn Lofton photo courtesy of Gulf Coast Business Council
Edwards new president
24 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • December 2015
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