Graphic with text and logo for MidSouth Development District promoting 'Building One Regional Team' for the 2025 State of the Region.

State of the Region 2025

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the inaugural State of the Region — a landmark gathering of regional leaders, mayors, and partners united by a shared vision for the MidSouth’s future. Our keynote speakers, Dr. Jim Johnson and Chris Mefford, challenged us to look at the MidSouth through both data and opportunity: who we are today, how we’re changing, and what it will take to grow together.

The conversation doesn’t end here. In 2026, MDD will host four Regional Roundtables to identify our regional priorities and collective “To Do List” that will drive our work forward. If you are a decision-maker in workforce development, housing, transportation, or infrastructure, we invite you to participate in these discussions and help shape the future of our region.

Relive key insights and data from the State of the Region by exploring the presentations shared during the event:

MDD's Presentation Slides
Group of five professionals, two women and three men, engaged in conversation in an office lobby.
Business professionals mingling at a conference in a spacious, well-lit lobby area with high ceilings, large windows, and black cocktail tables.
CAI's Presentation Slides
Audience attending a conference or seminar, sitting in red seats, some smiling and engaging, most dressed in business attire.
An elderly man with glasses wearing a gray suit, white shirt, and striped tie, speaking or presenting on a stage with a black background, gesturing with his right hand.
A thank you message to sponsors, featuring the Dunavant Enterprises logo in large navy blue letters, and the TVA Tennessee Valley Authority logo with blue letters, on a white background.
Logos of various sponsors including A2H, Downtown Memphis, LRK, and others.
List of sponsors and friends on a white background, with green and black text. Silver Sponsors include Constellation Properties, Harris Shelton, Junior Achievement of the MidSouth, Kimley-Horn, and Maslasi Engineering. Friends include Duncan Williams Asset Management, Henry Turley Company, MLGW, Regional One Health Foundation, Regions Bank, and Turner Construction Company.