In Oktibbeha County, just outside of Starkville, sits NorthStar Industrial Park, a development site that is getting ready to house new occupants.
Golden Triangle Development LINK has been working to establish NorthStar and attract companies to fill in the empty acres. The development agency recently received $3.4 million from the governor and the Appalachian Regional Commission to clear trees. The funds also pay for roadwork outside the park’s western area.
Oktibbeha County and the City of Starkville worked with LINK to develop the industrial park by supplying a $14 million investment in 2017. This week, the county approved a bid with LINK to clear the site for building construction.
“Any project that we get, [LINK] have been instrumental in making happen,” Mayor Lynn Spruill said.
After cleaning the site, LINK will work with Agracel, an industrial development company, to construct a building. Agracel completed another move-in-ready building that is 50,000 square feet and is expandable to 100,000 square feet. The industrial developers are helping LINK find a tenant to fill both speculative buildings.
LINK Chief Operating Officer Meryl Fisackerly said most companies would occupy a 20-acre to 50-acre space, and the industrial park has additional room on the back side for a 150-acre building if needed. She estimated that ten tenants could fill the park’s eastern side, and one company could occupy the larger portion of the site.
“It is not a massive industrial park,” Fisackerly said. “It was really not designed for someone to come in and take all the acreage for one user.”
Fisackerly said LINK equally appreciated all investors because each can impact the community. 
“Their footprint might be smaller, but that doesn’t mean their investment or job creation is necessarily smaller,” Fisackerly said.
Garan Manufacturing has been the sole NorthStar resident since 2020. Fisackerly said a buyer had expressed interest in moving to NorthStar, but the building has since remained empty. 
“We are very hopeful to have a tenant soon,” Fisackerly said.
However, Fisackerly said other companies had contacted LINK about moving into the park.
“We’ve had a lot of interest in NorthStar and in the speculative building,” Fisackerly said.
Electrical engineering companies, automobile and electric vehicle industries and two German manufacturers have expressed ideas for opening facilities at NorthStar, Fisackerly said.
LINK recently submitted information for a German, family-owned pipe manufacturer that could make a $40 million investment and bring 238 jobs to the county if the company moved to the park.
“We work a lot of foreign-direct investment … German projects are very intrigued by the industrial park,” Fisackerly said.
Fisackerly said one reason foreign buyers would be attracted to developing in NorthStar is its proximity to Mississippi State University.
Spruill said the city leaders wanted to encourage people to move their families and businesses to Starkville. 
“We’re trying to make ourselves as business-friendly as possible,” Spruill said.  
Spruill and Board of Supervisors Vice President Orlando Trainer praised the LINK team for its work in the city and county. Trainer said LINK “moves the county forward.” 
Trainer explained how the county and NorthStar could be attracting new residents.  
“I think that Oktibbeha County has been somewhat of a … opportunity because they didn’t have all of the other things like some of the other counties have,” Trainer said. “We didn’t have the infrastructure in place, we didn’t have nothing to market, we didn’t have anything to put out there.”