Page 24 - South Mississippi Living - December, 2016

COASTNOTES
GOLDEN NUGGET EXECUTIVE RECEIVES HONOR FROM MGCCC
story by Lynn Lofton
photo courtesy of Golden Nugget
Local gaming executive Chett Harrison was named to the Alumni Hall of Fame of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Perkinston Campus. Harrison, vice president and general manager of the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Biloxi, was surprised
by the honor. “They select only one person each year and I am truly honored,” he said.
A native of Wiggins, Harrison attended the school from 1985-1988 and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in advertising with a minor in marketing from the University of Southern Mississippi.
His gaming career began in 1993 at the Copa Casino where he served as marketing director. He opened the Palace Casino hotel and was with Penn National Gaming for 13 years, serving as marketing director
at Boomtown and general manager of Hollywood Casino. He has been with the Golden Nugget since June 2014.
Harrison is now a resident of Gulfport, and he and his wife Kim have two children: son Presley, 15, and daughter Jessica, 13. “I will absolutely encourage my children and other young people to attend my alma mater,” he said. “It builds a great educational foundation.”
The MGCCC Hall of Fame was established in 1970 to honor alumni who have exhibited exceptional achievement resulting in recognition for themselves and the college.
COFFEE FUSION SHAKES THINGS UP story by Susan Ruddiman
Adam Flinchum, owner of Coffee Fusion Bubble Tree Café, took a step outside his comfort zone last year, and opened A Taste of Coffee Fusion at Keesler Medical Center in Biloxi.
“It’s a small kiosk in the outpatient center by the escalators and elevators. We couldn’t be happier there,” he said. He has found visiting with the medical staff, airmen, retirees and patients to be a “very humbling experience. It is a different dynamic.”
The kiosk, which offers drinks and pastries, celebrated its first anniversary at the medical center in November, and Coffee Fusion in Ocean Springs has been serving customers coffee, bubble tea and food for 13 years. During that time, Flinchum has seen the coffee shop competition increase dramatically.
“Our customers have stayed faithful to us, and they continue to come in. We treat them in the best way possible,” he said.
To shake things up, however, be on the lookout for a revamped menu in 2017.
Coffee Fusion Bubble Tea Café
2228 Bienville Blvd., Ocean Springs | 228.818.9211 coffeefusion@yahoo.com, www.coffeefusion.net Mon-Fri, 6 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sat, 7 a.m.-8 p.m., Sun, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
24 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • December 2016
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