Greenwood Soul Mates – Thomas Gregory
For us, “soul” represents that unique essence each person contributes to their community, weaving a colorful tapestry of stories, talents, cultural experiences, and more. In Greenwood, this tapestry is formed by numerous unique individuals whose captivating stories and deep connections to the region’s food, music and history define our identity as a town and make Greenwood such an extraordinary place to visit. These remarkable individuals are our “Soul Mates.”
When discussing the concept of “soul,” the conversation often devolves into the deep essence of the subject, whether it’s within an individual or a location. In the case of Greenwood’s most recent “Soul Mate,” the description doubles down to someone who embodies profound compassion and love for the community. At the same time, this individual lives and raises a family in their hometown of Greenwood, flooded with history and emotional depth. This Soul Mate is none other than Thomas Gregory, Executive Director at Greenwood-Leflore-Carroll Economic Development Foundation.
“I truly believe we are the Heart and Soul of the Mississippi Delta, which stems from our people, our unique culture and the place we have collectively built as a community over the past 180 years,” said Thomas. “Greenwood was founded in 1844 as an outpost along the Yazoo River. And now, through almost two centuries of growth and development, we have built a community with soul.”
Thomas himself has deep ties to the Heart of the Delta, being a fifth-generation native of Greenwood. In the 1900s, his great-great-grandfather, Thomas Reeves Gregory, relocated the family to Greenwood from Texas to establish one of the first cotton businesses in the region. Back then, Greenwood was the leading cotton producer and was referred to as the “Cotton Capital of the World.” Thomas’ great-grandfather and grandfather worked as cotton brokers in Greenwood’s historic Cotton Row District.
Yet, his father chose to step away from the cotton brokerage industry as business began to dwindle thanks to modern technology and followed his passion to become a grant writing consultant instead.
Similar to his father and many other Delta natives, Thomas experienced a series of back-and-forth occasions of venturing away and returning home to Greenwood. He studied at Mississippi State in Starkville for undergrad, then moved back after graduation in 2005 to work for his dad. “My dad worked as a consultant for small communities in the Delta, writing grants to secure their funding for public facilities, roads and affordable housing,” said Thomas.
“I learned the grant writing skill set from him, and it has served me well in the various positions I’ve held,” he noted. “It’s one thing to have a great idea, but it’s another to be able to secure the funding that you need to implement it. So, because of that time with my dad, I’ve had a successful track record with grant writing.”
Thomas later pursued graduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before returning to Greenwood to put those grant writing skills to work, serving under the Mayor as the city’s Chief Administrative Officer for eight years and in his previous role as Executive Director of the Mississippi Main Street Association — a statewide organization focusing on downtown revitalization in communities across the state.
“I immediately realized the important role tourism and destination marketing play with economic development,” he said. “Tourism is Mississippi’s fourth largest industry, and it supports more than 100,000 jobs and generates nearly $750 million in state taxes. That’s real economic development. And Greenwood certainly gets its fair share of that number. And so, when we talk about economic development, it’s not just factories and smokestacks.”
Thomas wasn’t the only one making moves. His wife relocated to Greenwood from Portland, Oregon, and if asked to describe Greenwood in one word, he’d say, “Authentic.”
“There’s something truly authentic about Greenwood, Mississippi. Our community is genuine without a lot of pretenses. The locals are warm and accepting of people of all backgrounds. A prime example is when my wife moved here from Portland, and she’d tell you she met and interacted with more people in three months than she’d known her entire life living on the West Coast”, said Thomas. “That’s a testament to the way we reach out and welcome people to town and embrace them.”
The couple married in 2015, and soon after, Thomas landed a position at his alma mater and moved to Starkville, where they welcomed their first son. Yet, a strong sense of family eventually led them to return to Greenwood for good.
“Starkville is a great community, and we loved living there, and it brought a lot of life and energy to our experience,” he said. “But we missed the community feel of Greenwood. I know that sounds cliché, but we missed being plugged in here. So that’s ultimately why we moved back — to be a part of something and share life with family and friends.”
Now, as one of the leaders of economic development in the Delta, his goals are to cultivate a strong economy, nurture small businesses, and attract larger industries to the area. He believes these goals can be achieved through workforce development programs, which can also help develop a higher quality of life in the community—one that is strong and sustainable.
With Thomas’s job and other responsibilities, including serving as a board member for Keep Mississippi Beautiful, the Mississippi Heritage Trust, Main Street Greenwood, and being a member of the Tourism Commission, he most certainly can be considered an expert day planner and Greenwood tour guide.
“Well, this is not hypothetical because I’ve already recommended this dozens of times,” Thomas quipped. “In the Delta, we base everything around food. I would start the day with an early morning walk at the Yazoo River Trail. It’s beautiful and a natural area tucked away in the middle of town. From there, we would head to Veronica’s bakery for breakfast and then go downtown to shop in the local retail stores.”
“Lunch would be a hometown treat at Fan and Johnny’s – one of the best restaurants in the state. I love taking people there because the food is so creative and unique –you can’t find anything else like it. Later in the afternoon, we would ride out Money Road and stop at Little Zion Church to pay our respects to bluesman Robert Johnson, buried there.
Then we’d ride the back roads of the Delta before heading up to Giardina’s for cocktails and conversation out in the courtyard, which is my favorite space in town. And then, finally, I would take them to the Viking Cooking School, an authentically unique Greenwood experience. There are few places where you can enjoy a day like that.”
As Executive Director of the Economic Development Foundation, it’s obvious Thomas has excellent leadership capabilities. When asked for an anecdote to describe where his leadership style comes from, he once again points to his father.
“In my dad’s office, there is a quote from former Wyoming senator Alan Simpson that reads ‘If you have integrity, nothing else matters,’” he said. “So, I try and lead with personal integrity, which has been great leadership advice over the years.”
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