OLIVE BRANCH, Miss. — Olive Branch industrial growth took center stage Wednesday, Nov. 4, as Mayor Ken Adams gathered some of the city’s largest employers for the final 2026 meeting of the Olive Branch Mayor’s Industrial Council. Business leaders talked about workforce shortages, community investment, artificial intelligence and what the city can do for them in 2027, according to the DeSoto Times-Tribune.
What Is the Mayor’s Industrial Council?
Adams launched the council in late 2025 to give the city a regular line of communication with its major employers. It brings together about 40 of Olive Branch’s largest companies along with the Olive Branch Chamber of Commerce, and it meets once a quarter.
The goal, as the mayor has described it, is twofold: work with business leaders to attract new companies to Olive Branch, and talk through how developers and employers can give back to the community that hosts them.
Olive Branch Industrial Growth and Tax Revenue
In his opening remarks, Adams called industrial development a major driver of the city’s economic growth in 2026. He said taxes paid by large developments help fund local schools, the public library and city infrastructure.
A fact sheet shared at the luncheon said a single warehouse produces about the same tax revenue as 415 homes in the city and can create more than 500 jobs. Adams said that even with tax incentives, one such warehouse would pay roughly:
$627,000 a year in school taxes
$283,000 a year in city taxes
He stressed that incentivized warehouses are not exempt from school, roadway, park, library or public safety taxes, and that they still pay well over 60 percent of what they would owe without incentives.
“A lot of residents understand the benefits that the industrial component brings the city,” Adams said.
Employers Talk Workforce, AI and Community Support
Paul Reinke, senior development director with Dallas-based developer Hillwood, moderated a panel of local employers:
Kris Sanders, interim CEO of Methodist Hospital, said nursing is the hardest job for the health system to fill and pointed to tuition reimbursement and advanced education programs. “Nursing positions are the most difficult positions for anybody in our organization,” Sanders said.
Darlene Regan, senior regional controller for medical equipment maker Teleflex, which runs one of its largest distribution centers in Olive Branch, highlighted the company’s support for Toys for Tots, food banks and the Junior Auxiliary, plus financial literacy tools for Olive Branch and Horn Lake high schools.
Michael Scott, vice president of distribution for Riverhorse Logistics, said the company has more than 100 employees in Olive Branch and promotes financial literacy for its workers.
Scott also pointed to artificial intelligence and AI infrastructure, including data centers, as a way to draw more companies to the area. “To attract more companies like ours, we really need to look at capitalizing on the generational investment that AI and AI infrastructure is offering,” he said.
Construction Update Across Olive Branch
Adams also gave a rundown of development activity around the city:
Hyve Solutions has added 300 parking spaces to its campus on Stateline Road.
Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q opened in June.
Panda Express, LongHorn Steakhouse and Connie’s Chicken are under construction or in final review.
Three mixed-use developments, Wealth Hospitality, Oaks Park Town Center and The Bridges of Camp Creek, have reached milestones.
The council plans to keep meeting quarterly in 2027, and Adams said resident feedback will help shape those meetings. The city recently opened a new public works facility as well; read more in our story on the new $8.9 million Olive Branch Public Works building.
