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News/Press Releases  FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE Hancock
Bank Economic Symposium GULFPORT, MS (February 12, 2004) - America's reigning retail salvage king, an international economist rated tops by USA Today, and a leading Mississippi physician-turned-health-insurance-administrator agree: proactive, visionary leadership will ensure bright economic futures for Mississippi and the Gulf Coast. At yesterday's 38th annual Hancock Bank's Gulf Coast Economic Symposium, "Enlightening Perspectives," in Biloxi, Bill C. Hudson, Jr., CEO of Hudson's Salvage, LLC, Dr. Barry Asmus, senior economist with the National Center for Policy Analysis, and Thomas Fenter, M.D., corporate medical director for Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi, offered a capacity crowd of symposium guests first-hand insights into issues and initiatives affecting Mississippi and Gulf Coast growth as national economic engines. Circulating a hand-drawn diagram for success on paper napkins to each of the 1,500 symposium attendees, Hudson addressed "The Trichotomy of Success" by citing his father's counsel that a leader must remain passionate about a desire, a plan, and a goal to achieve real success. Under Hudson's direction, Hudson's Salvage - a third-generation family company based in Hattiesburg - has emerged as the country's leading purchaser of retail salvage merchandise and one of the Gulf South's most successful businesses. Confident that the nation's economy will continue to improve, Asmus asserted that "The Best Is Yet to Come," as America defends and strengthens the freedoms fundamental to prosperity in an information dependent global economy. He lauded South Mississippi's diverse economy - especially tourism, resorts and gaming, shipbuilding, space research, technology, manufacturing, and the military - as a driver in the region's growth as a business, industrial, and residential mecca. Additionally, he said that the national connections of Mississippi's current leadership should prove advantageous to helping the state and the Coast evolve as great economic success stories. "It takes well-connected leaders with a vision to make things happen in an era when change is occurring so rapidly. I'll bet you that Mississippi is going to be one of the economic miracles in the United States," said Asmus, one of America's five most requested speakers, according to USA Today. Mississippi physician Fenter joined Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi as the organization's full-time corporate medical advisor in 2003 after 28 years of successful practice with the Mississippi Urology Clinic in Jackson, MS. The Madison resident explored "Managing the Real Causes & Effects of Rising Employee Healthcare Costs" by pointing out factors influencing rising health care costs in Mississippi. He said Mississippi leads the nation in cases of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, and emphasized healthy lifestyle and preventative health management as integral to relieving the state's healthcare crisis. Fenter also advocated streamlined electronic medical record keeping to cut administrative costs as well as evidence based medicine and patient-doctor "partnerships" to choose appropriate, cost-effective diagnostic procedures, treatments, and prescription drugs. "Providers must use treatments backed by published medical evidence to eliminate using procedures that do not do any good, drugs and technology with no proven benefits, and expensive medications when cheaper alternatives work just as well," he emphasized. Additionally, he said Mississippi physicians still face limited insurance options and rising malpractice premiums and suggested that state leaders should continue to design and implement fair tort reform to retain and recruit quality healthcare providers throughout the state. Rated
among the top 4.6 percent of all United States financial institutions
for financial strength and soundness, Hancock Bank has helped generations
of South Mississippians remain abreast of local, state, regional,
and national economic developments by featuring, business and industry
executives, high-ranking military officers, and renowned economic
experts as symposium speakers since the 1960s. Hancock Holding Company
(NASDAQ: HBHC) - the parent company of Hancock Bank Mississippi
and Hancock Bank of Louisiana - has assets of $4.2 billion. Additional
corporate information and online banking and bill pay services are
available at www.hancockbank.com. — 30 — FOR
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