The Coast Ahead https://thecoastahead.com/ Business, people and progress on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. en-us Sat, 12 Sep 2026 12:00:00 -0500 Ships, ocean drones and 166 planned jobs: Gulfport’s maritime bet gets real https://thecoastahead.com/features/gulfport-maritime-economy/ https://thecoastahead.com/features/gulfport-maritime-economy/ Mon, 07 Sep 2026 08:00:00 -0500 Maritime and Blue Economy Gulf Ship, Ocean Aero and Saronic are bringing different kinds of maritime work to Gulfport. Sandra Plainer-Molden never planned to build a bakery. Her customers had other ideas. https://thecoastahead.com/features/mollie-jane-co/ https://thecoastahead.com/features/mollie-jane-co/ Mon, 07 Sep 2026 08:00:00 -0500 Small Business Demand turned a love of baking into Mollie Jane Co., a flexible, family-run Pascagoula business. Overnight visitors spend three times more. Can the Coast keep them here? https://thecoastahead.com/features/coast-overnight-tourism/ https://thecoastahead.com/features/coast-overnight-tourism/ Mon, 07 Sep 2026 08:00:00 -0500 Tourism and Hospitality Overnight visitors spend about three times as much per trip as day visitors on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The Coast has plenty of plans. Now 16 leaders must decide what comes first. https://thecoastahead.com/features/coast-regional-priorities/ https://thecoastahead.com/features/coast-regional-priorities/ Mon, 07 Sep 2026 08:00:00 -0500 Economic Development A 16-member committee is narrowing existing Coast plans into a shorter regional agenda. The Coast added 1,200 jobs. So why did its workforce shrink? https://thecoastahead.com/features/coast-workforce-numbers/ https://thecoastahead.com/features/coast-workforce-numbers/ Mon, 07 Sep 2026 08:00:00 -0500 Workforce Payroll jobs grew while the Mississippi Gulf Coast resident labor force became smaller. The Coast is growing. These 5 numbers show what has to work next. https://thecoastahead.com/features/five-numbers-shaping-coast/ https://thecoastahead.com/features/five-numbers-shaping-coast/ Mon, 07 Sep 2026 08:00:00 -0500 Data and Economy Five comparisons explain where Mississippi Gulf Coast growth is creating opportunity and what must work next.