Contact: James Carskadon

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State University and the City of Starkville celebrated the newly renovated outdoor plaza at the Innovation Hub with a ribbon-cutting on Friday [April 5].

Funded by a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration, the new-look plaza now serves as a welcoming outdoor space in the heart of downtown Starkville. MSU Research and Technology Corp. purchased the building in 2019 and has since renovated the indoor and outdoor space, further strengthening the town-and-gown relationship by the city and university.

Marking the occasion is, from left, Greater Starkville Development Partnership CEO and MSU Associate Director for Corporate and Economic Partnerships Mike Tagert, MSU Research and Technology Corp. Director Marc McGee, MSU President Mark E. Keenum, MSU Vice President for Research and Economic Development Julie Jordan and Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill.