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2. 60 M I S S I S S I P P I D E V E L O P M E N T G U I D E
I N N O V A T I O N A N D E N T R E P R E N E U R S
Chef Billy Lieberman is co-founder and president of
Billy’s Original Foods. (TOP)
Billy’s Original Foods Co-Founder and Vice President
Mani Chanprasith checks out the Billy’s items
displayed in the grocery freezer case. (RIGHT)
PHOTOS COURTESY OF BILLY’S ORIGINAL FOODS
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3. M I S S I S S I P P I D E V E L O P M E N T G U I D E 61
illy Lieberman is a chef
from Washington, D.C.
who had operated a
successful restaurant
in Las Vegas. Mani
Chanprasith, a refugee immigrant
from Laos, grew up in Arkansas and
moved to New York City after college
to pursue a career in investment
banking.
In the course of a single whirlwind
year, this unlikely duo would start a
business, finance and outfit a facility,
commence production and secure
contracts to supply big-time grocery
players, all out of their Mississippi
base.
Here is their story.
Following separate paths, both
wound up in Vicksburg, where
Lieberman opened another restaurant
and where the two became friends.
The restaurant, Billy’s Italian, was
a tiny hole-in-the-wall with a huge
following. Strategically located near
the Vicksburg National Military
Park, which attracts thousands of
visitors every year from all over the
world, it drew a steady stream of
diners who would enjoy the fare
Billy’s served up and proceed to rave
about it on social media.
One night, Chanprasith visited
the restaurant. As she chatted with
Lieberman and his wife, the subject
turned to ways to take the Billy’s
brand to the next level. From that
conversation came a back-of-the-
napkin business idea: packaged frozen
meals based on recipes perfected at
the restaurant.
FROM ZERO TO FULL-SPEED
AHEAD IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE
Moving quickly, the two formed
a partnership, conducted market
research, and determined there would
be demand for their products. “Our
big idea was to sell convenience
without sacrificing quality,” says
Chanprasith, now the company
vice president. “There are lots of
BILLY AND MANI MOVED TO VICKSBURG AND LAUNCHED A
FOOD VENTURE. HERE’S HOW THEY DID IT.
by A N N MOL I N E
B
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4. 62 M I S S I S S I P P I D E V E L O P M E N T G U I D E
MISSISSIPPI’S AGTECH
INNOVATORS:
CHANGING THE
FUTURE OF FARMING
As one of the nation’s leading
agricultural commodity
producers, Mississippi brings
to bear a legacy of agriculture
expertise and know how it isn’t
necessarily found in a classroom,
yielding an agricultural talent
pipeline steeped in the experience
of the past but focused on the
promise of the future. In addition,
the state boasts a growing pool of
world-class tech talent. Consider
that Jackson ranks among the
country’s top three metros for high
tech job growth per a recent study
by DC-based think tank Brookings
Institution. Mississippi’s also has
leading-edge agricultural science
research coming out of institutions
like Mississippi State University.
Given this confluence, it’s clear
the state is poised to become
a new hotbed of agri-business
innovation.
One such home-grown ag
innovator is BioSoil Enhancers
Inc., makers of SumaGrow, a
biologic-based application that
enhances the effectiveness of
traditional fertilizers and increases
crop yields. For producers,
this represents a significant
breakthrough. They can use less
fertilizer, yielding a cost savings,
while improving the long-term
sustainability of their farming
operations by reducing the risk of
soil stress from over-fertilization.
Recently awarded a 2016
Governor’s Award for Excellence
in Exporting, the Hattiesburg-
based company has experienced
rapid growth since its inception.
It’s a trend picking up steam
in the last few years as farmers
around the world embrace the
product. International exports have
increased by an eye-popping 189
percent since 2015, per company
officials.
frozen dinners out there, but there aren’t many that offer
restaurant-quality taste.”
The partners wrote up a detailed business plan and
go-to-market strategy. In the Spring of 2015, they entered
a start-up competition sponsored by the Delta Regional
Authority — a consortium of federal and state economic
development agencies that supports entrepreneurship,
innovation and small businesses in the eight-state Delta
region. At the competition, Lieberman and Chanprasith
were awarded $40,000 worth of business resources and
consulting to help them set their plan in motion.
A year later, the newly formed company purchased a
50,000-square-foot facility which previously housed a
carpet store. Financed with the proceeds from the sale of
the restaurant — along with maxed-out personal credit
cards and savings — the $511,000 investment included
specialty equipment to meet federal and global regulatory
specifications.
Building a facility that from the start would enable
export abroad made sense, Chanprasith says. “We don’t
want to grow too fast, but we also don’t want to rule out
anything.”
By early summer of 2016, barely one month after
moving in, the first items were rolling off the production
line, supplying an impressive list of customers, including
regional grocery powerhouse Kroger.
YOU’VE GOT TO HAVE FRIENDS
The company’s remarkable trajectory is due in large
measure to the energy and passion of the partners.
Lieberman, the company president, credits the strength
BioSoil Enhancers Inc. is a home-grown ag-tech innovator.
PHOTO COURTESY OF BIOSOIL ENHANCERS INC.
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5. M I S S I S S I P P I D E V E L O P M E N T G U I D E 63
of his team as well. “We have a talented team
of people who are all great at what they do. I
know we will be a successful company because
of that.”
The support of the Delta Regional Authority
and Mississippi’s own agencies also enable
this business success story, according to
Chanprasith. “The Delta Regional Authority’s
entrepreneurial network pointed us in the right
direction.” Other groups, such as Innovate
Mississippi, which supports innovation and
technology-based business growth, have served
as a critical support system as well. “They
always take our calls, helping us work through
our problems and finding solutions.”
Additional assistance came from the
Mississippi Development Authority, with
support for workforce training. Entergy
Mississippi, through its Small Business Incentive
Program Rider Schedule, is providing Billy’s
Original Foods a 15 percent discount on the
company’s monthly electric bill for the first two
years of operations.
Chanprasith says the partners did consider
locating the production facility in another state,
but they they decided to stay put. “Warren
County is a great place to build a manufacturing
base even as we expand our reach, because of its
location. We are right off the interstate, and in
between the major distribution hubs of Dallas
and Atlanta.”
A FUTURE SO BRIGHT, THEY’RE WEARING
SHADES
This is still the early days for the Billy’s
operation. But the company is projecting strong
growth through 2017, as its reach expands
considerably. The company recently secured
another important customer in Walmart, which
has started to carry the Billy’s label in 100
stores across Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee,
and Louisiana.
According to Chanprasith, the
entrepreneurial spirit is clearly alive and well in
Mississippi — as is the kind of strong support
system that means the world to energetic
and passionate innovators. “The Mississippi
Development Authority, the innovation
networks — it’s all here. We know we aren’t
alone, and that’s a great feeling.”
Flood Bioreactor at BioSoil Enhanced Inc. in Hattiesburg.
PHOTO COURTESY OF BIOSOIL ENHANCERS INC.
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