A rose to Melinda Lowe, who has been announced as the FORGE Foundation’s first full-time executive director. Founded in 2018 by a group of Golden Triangle businesses in the construction industry, FORGE (Family Organizations Recruiting Great Employees) focuses on workforce training and education to introduce young people to the construction industry through a variety of programs, many of which are hands-on events that allow young people to familiarize themselves with the tools of the industry. FORGE has been so successful that it is expanding beyond the Golden Triangle to Tupelo and Fulton. That ambitious effort requires a full-time director. In selecting Lowe for the position, FORGE has hit a home run. Lowe comes to FORGE upon her retirement as director for the Center of Outreach and Innovation at Mississippi University for Women. In that role, she has led professional development efforts at MUW, such as observing student teachers in the classroom, helping students to develop a professional portfolio and writing grants to improve resources on-campus. She is known as a high-energy, charismatic leader who gets things done. We think FORGE and Lowe are a perfect fit as they expand their outreach.
A rose of remembrance to Joe Cade, whose tenure as CEO at 4-County Electric Power Association was marked by his support of economic development in the area and the charitable foundation founded by 4-County under his watch in 2015 that has aided dozens of community nonprofits to the tune of almost $2 million. Cade, who passed away Monday at age 78, spent 15 years over two separate stints with 4-County, first in technology and customer service (1983-1990) and later as CEO (2010-2018). It was in his later role that Cade provided vital assistance in support of bringing Yokohama Tire to West Point as well as assisting the expansions at Steel Dynamics. The 4-County Foundation he helped establish provides about $20,000 annually to nonprofits from contributions to the foundation from 4-County members. Ninety-three percent of the co-op’s membership donates to the foundation, following the example set by Cade. His impact will live on in our community.
A rose to the Mississippi State women’s golf team for a historic achievement. Led by head coach Charlie Ewing, the 2023 Bulldogs secured a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history. They earned one of the top spots in the field after an impressive season that saw MSU ranked inside the GolfStat top 10 much of the year. The Bulldogs closed the season by finishing as runner-up in the SEC Tournament behind the play of sophomore Julia Lopez Ramirez, who won the SEC Individual Championship. Ole Miss, which claimed its first national title in women’s golf two years ago, is also in the field as a third seed. We congratulate both programs for their stellar performance and wish them well as the tournament play begins May 8.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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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 47 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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