Engineering company opens new Natchez office

NATCHEZ — An engineering company with 39 offices across nine states just added one more office in Natchez.

The closest Neel-Schaffer locations were in McComb and Vicksburg until a new office had its grand opening Friday morning in Natchez.

The new office is located inside the Natchez Inc. building at the corner of Main and South Pearl streets.

“Neel-Schaffer has a long-standing history in Mississippi and throughout our region,” Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson said. Included in that history are ongoing Natchez and Adams County projects — the design of Revels Plaza, a park to be constructed at the MLK Triangle that will include a statue of Hiram Rhodes Revels, and the $7 million construction of the levee around former Belwood Country Club property for the future Velocys site.

Joining city and county officials at a ribbon cutting Friday morning were Neel-Schaffer representatives, including Executive Vice President Melinda McGrath, Doug Wimberly, David Bowman and native Natchezian Wesley Riley, who started her career at Jordan Kaiser & Sessions LLC in 2021.

“We’re excited to be here in Natchez and look forward to working with the City of Natchez,” Project Manager Wimberly said. “Your trophy project (Revels Plaza) we’re happy to be involved in and we’re happy to have a location here to be able to support that project and others going forward.”

In addition, Gibson said Neel-Schaffer prepared the application for a RAISE Grant that supports the future development of Revels Plaza, the U.S. Colored Troops Monument, and the Forks to Freedom Corridor, beginning at the flyover at D’Evereux Drive and Seargent S. Prentiss Drive, continuing to St. Catherine Street, encompassing the Forks of the Roads and the Angeletti House on St. Catherine Street, the historic African American business community and continuing to the Natchez bluff.

“It’s a big project. When all the funds are totaled up it’s going to be about $25 million spent right here in Natchez from the flyover to our bluff and encompassing all of downtown,” Gibson said.

Riley, who started working for Neel-Schaffer in recent months to become the new office manager, said “I’m just happy Neel-Schaffer took a chance on me several months ago. I’m back and ready to make Natchez better.”

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