Reeves added to Southaven Tribute Hall
Photo: Jon Reeves and Mayor Darren Musselwhite in front of the Southaven Tribute Hall at City Hall. (Bob Bakken/desotocountynews.com)
A man credited with building thousands of homes that helped spur the formation of Southaven as a city was honored Tuesday night with his addition to the city’s Tribute Hall.
Jon Reeves now has his name and image on the wall welcoming visitors to the Southaven City Hall. The unveiling of his plaque was done before Tuesday’s Board of Aldermen meeting.
Southaven Mayor Darren Musselwhite said it’s the people that have made Southaven a great city.
“One of the first people that came to mind for me was Jon Reeves,” Musselwhite said. “No one is more significant to the history of Southaven than Jon Reeves. To know where your city is going you need to know where it has been.”
Reeves’ work in Southaven started with Allied Investment Company, which later became Allied Mortgage and Development Company. It was then he helped construct one of the city’s first commercial buildings, which later became the current Southaven City Hall.
In the late 1960s, Reeves joined partner Bob Williams to form Reeves-Williams Home Builders. The company is credited with building thousands of homes and commercial space in Southaven and in Horn Lake. After selling Reeves-Williams in the early 2000s, Reeves continued to develop both residential and commercial properties in Southaven and has been a mentor and friend to countless other business people in the city, Musselwhite said.
Reeves becomes the second name to be placed on the Tribute Hall at City Hall. In December 2022, Musselwhite and the Board of Aldermen unveiled the first plaque that recognizes the contributions of the city’s first fire chief, Vernon McCammon.
“Southaven has been an integral part of my life,” Reeves said Monday evening. “At the time, Southaven was like 2-3 houses, really nothing here. But Mr. (Cary) Whitehead (with Allied Investment) had a vision for Southaven to become a city. His dream has come true.”
During Tuesday board meeting that followed, in preparation for the new fiscal year budget, aldermen and Musselwhite will have a budget workshop on Thursday, and possibly Friday if needed. Department heads have met with Musselwhite and will appear between the board to explain their budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year.
Musselwhite cautioned there would be some challenges for the board in the upcoming fiscal year caused by inflation.
“We knew that the national inflation problem would impact everybody, including our operation, and now that’s in full force,” Musselwhite said. “Inflation is tough and we have some pretty aggressive goals that we’re trying to meet, as well.”
