Railroads Factor in Hattiesburg Economy

By: Beth Alexander | WHLT
Published: February 03, 2012

"I don't get the chance to get back to Hattiesburg very much but I'm always happy to."

     Charles Wick Moorman is President of Norfolk Southern Railroad.
     He's also a Hattiesburg native and was selected as the 2011 Railroader of the Year.

"Hattiesburg grew up as a railroad town and the railroad is still vitally important in terms of economic development and the welfare of not only Hattiesburg and Mississippi but the entire country."

     Moorman says he sees a lot of improvement in the Hattiesburg community and especially downtown.

"I applaud everyone for what they're doing with downtown these days and what they've done with this gorgeous depot."

"We're just over $91 million in total investments since the year 2000."

     Betsy Rowell is the executive director of the Historic Hattiesburg Downtown Association.
     She says that $91 million is a combination of public tax money and private investments.
     Moorman says that Norfolk Southern is committed to increasing economic development in Hattiesburg.

"As we look forward, our company is making enormous investments in adding capacity, adding infrastructure, building our business, promoting economic development and we look forward to working with, not only the folks in Hattiesburg but Mississippi and all of these other states we serve to bring even more business and bring even more growth to the region."