Jackson State University News Room March 28, 2011 Jackson State professor named 2011 Miss. Small Business Person of the Year<http://jacksonstate.wordpress.com/2011/03/28/1170/> Jackson State University professor John D. Calhoun was recently named the 2011 Mississippi Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Calhoun is co-founder and CEO of Integrated Management Services (IMS), a 15-year-old client-focused, full-service corporation providing engineering, emergency management, technical, program management and operations services to its clients. "I am very humbled and honored to receive the award for Mississippi Small Business Person of the Year," said Calhoun, who serves as assistant professor of Entrepreneurship in the Department of Entrepreneurship in the JSU College of Business. "I have been blessed over the last 15 years to have had the privilege of working with a great business partner, a staff with a wealth of expertise, and businesses and clients throughout Mississippi, and the United States. IMS will continue to deliver global solutions to local problems for many years to come." IMS is made up of four main operating units: IMS Engineers, IMS Technical Institute, IMS Federal Programs, and IMS Autrans, LLC, which is a tier-one supplier for Nissan North America. Under Calhoun and his business partner Rod L. Hill, the firm has received a number of awards, including the Inner City 100 Award for the fastest growing inner-city business in the United States for a fourth straight year in 2008. In 2007, IMS was named to the 2007 Inc. 5000, the first ever list of the 5,000 fastest growing businesses in the country with a rank of 833 and a three-year sales growth of 414 percent. In 2006, IMS was named to the Inc. 500 list as one of America's fastest growing companies for the fourth straight year. IMS ranked 449th, with a three-year sales growth of 330 percent. "Hard work, innovative ideas, and dedication to the community have helped him succeed," said Karen G. Mills, administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration. "The SBA is pleased to recognize Calhoun's achievements and role in driving our nation's economic growth." As an award winner, Calhoun is invited to attend the National Small Business Week celebration to be held in Washington, D.C., May 18-20, 2011 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Program Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 404.592.4820 Skype:sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.