The Golden Triangle Development LINK celebrated the opening of its new office Tuesday, welcoming dozens of community members, business partners and local officials to the new 7,000-square-foot building at the Golden Triangle Regional Airport.
The decision to locate near GTRA was close to a decade and a half in the making – built on a vision of tying the Oktibbeha, Lowndes and Clay communities together for economic development at a more centralized location.
“We said, ‘What location could we pick that shows everybody what we were trying to do here?’” LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins told the crowd Tuesday. “And locating on the airport’s property in the middle of a big development is kind of where we picked to be. It’s kind of our natural spot. This goes back to the olden, olden, olden days … to the region’s vision.”
Part of that vision, Higgins said, is credited to Bobby Harper, a longtime banking and community leader in the region, who also served on the LINK’s board of directors.
“The early days of the LINK weren’t all that stellar. We had some bumps. We had some hiccups. Things weren’t going all that good some days. Some days, they were going better,” Higgins said. “And one day, Bobby came to my office and he said, ‘Hey, I want to make this thing work. I want to be on the team. What do I need to do to help us win?’ and I said, ‘Bobby, we need money.’”
From there, Higgins and Harper developed their plan for The Trust, a group of private sector business partners who serve as the LINK’s boosters. But Harper didn’t stop there.
“And Bobby went around, with the bank’s permission, as part of his paying job, and twisted arms and tails … and he got people to pledge money,” Higgins said. “And I don’t mean a little bit of money, folks, I mean millions and millions and millions of dollars over time.
“Bobby believed in the system,” he added. “Bobby gave of his time, never once asked for any recognition at all.”
That same modesty carried over when Higgins went to tell Harper about his plans to dedicate the training room, to which Higgins said he replied, “OK. If you want to.”
As it turned out, Harper had expected a different outcome of that meeting with Higgins.
“(Higgins) went into all this about all the stuff Bobby has done and all the money he’s raised for the LINK, and then he told him (about the dedication),” Harper’s wife, Jo Harper, told The Dispatch. “And then when they left, Bobby looked at us and he said, ‘Oh my gosh, I thought he was going to ask me to … do another fundraiser for the LINK.’”
The LINK, Higgins said, wouldn’t be what it is today with Harper’s efforts, prompting the choice to dedicate the training room as the “Bobby Harper Training Room.”
“In a day and age before social media and self promotion … people just did stuff because it was the right thing to do,” Higgins said. “They didn’t care if their name got associated with it. They just did it because it was the right thing to do. So I think today is time for us to do something right.”
With that, Harper’s wife, children, grandchildren and one great granddaughter joined Higgins to help unveil a plaque honoring Harper’s commitment to the LINK’s mission. Harper, who is dealing with ongoing health issues, was unable to attend Tuesday.
“As a dedicated board member and advocate, he helped raise millions in the support of the Golden Triangle Development LINK’s mission,” the plaque reads. “His legacy of vision and service lives on here.”
Jo Harper told The Dispatch “it’s amazing” to see the results of her husband’s efforts in the industry his fundraising helped bring to the region.
“He means the world to us,” she said. “We’ve always been proud of him, especially today, but always. (He’s) the best husband, the best daddy, the best grand daddy, the best great grand daddy.”
Neely Hudnall, daughter to Jo and Bobby Harper, said the dedication was a special honor for their family.
“All of this meant so much to him,” she said. “He spent a lot of time doing community service because he loved it and wanted to.”
Established in 2003, the LINK set up shop for decades at 1102 Main St. in Columbus. As the organization grew to become the industrial recruitment arm for the entire region, it sold the Columbus office to Lowndes County in 2024 while its new location was under construction.
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 39 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
