A senior international business consultant for the state of Mississippi is the candidate chosen to lead Natchez in its economic development program.

Board members of the Natchez-Adams Economic and Community Development Authority on Monday agreed to recommend Michael A. Ferdinand as the new EDA director, said board chairman Woody Allen.

&uot;We’re excited about this choice. He was a member of the Nissan team, and he has worked with industrial sites consultants from around the country,&uot; Allen said.

The EDA board will meet with Natchez aldermen and Adams County supervisors in a joint meeting Wednesday at 4 p.m. to make the formal recommendation.

By the law governing the economic development authority, both boards must approve the choice, Allen said.

With the two boards’ approval, a starting date of Sept. 24 has been set tentatively.

&uot;Mike has been an industrial recruiter for the entire state, and he knows what’s out there and what we need to do to upgrade our facilities and get back on the list for industries looking for sites,&uot; Allen said.

Ferdinand, contacted by phone late Monday, said he, too, is excited about the possibility of coming to Natchez.

&uot;Some time ago I had lived in Natchez and fell in love with the city,&uot; he said, referring to a stint with Fleck Inc. in Fayette, where he supervised 218 employees in the late 1980s.

Since 1993, Ferdinand has been with the Mississippi Development Authority in Jackson. &uot;I believe I have a lot to offer and we can grow together,&uot; he said. For the past eight years, he has been involved in business recruitment with the state authority. &uot;I’ve been working with companies looking for expansions, joint ventures, relocations and acquisitions,&uot; he said. &uot;I’ve worked a variety of markets, domestic and international.&uot;

As director of the Natchez EDA, he will be deliverer of the message about what the community has to offer, Ferdinand said.

&uot;Right now I market all 82 counties. I’m very much looking forward to bringing my experience to a community,&uot; he said.

&uot;Natchez has tremendous potential for further development. It will be a prime location for industries with the further development of the highway system in and out of there.&uot; Ferdinand said his knowledge of how other economic development organizations in the state operate also will be an asset in Natchez.

&uot;I’ve worked with all the organizations out there, and I’ve faced a wide variety of them. I can bring the best experience out there to Natchez and Adams County.&uot;

Ferdinand grew up in the New Orleans area and graduated from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. He also is a graduate of the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma in Norman.