A 50-acre lot at the Airport Industrial Complex north of Batesville is one of three sites in the South being considered for a massive toy distributor, a spokesman for Santa Claus has announced.

The Panolian learned about the potential new employer when the newspaper received a press release from Claus, Inc. announcing Santa was mulling a move to the South due to the warmer climate.

The press release also listed grits, SEC football and good duck hunting as other factors for Santa’s potential move.

The announcement was also sent to Batesville Mayor Jerry Autrey and Panola Partnership CEO Sonny Simmons.

“We feel pretty confident we’re in the running for Santa Claus and his business,” Simmons said of the toy distributor. “There’s still some uncertainty in the economy frankly, and that makes landing a large employer even more important for our community.”

“If we get this for Batesville, it will be huge — the big time,” said Mayor Autrey.

Santa spokesman Vinnie D. Elf confirmed that Santa’s toy-making enterprise, now headquartered at the North Pole, is looking at industrial sites in Mississippi, Tennessee and Alabama.

“I can verify that Panola County, Mississippi is a potential relocation site for my boss,” Elf told The Panolian last week.

The National Chamber of Commerce reported in 2007 that Claus, Inc. is no longer devoted to toy manufacturing due to advances in metals and plastics during the 20th century.

 The company now acts as the main worldwide distributor for major toy manufacturers that rely on St. Nick to use his own version of just-on-time delivery on Christmas Eve.

“Basically what Santa Claus had to do, after working in wood for four centuries, was adapt to the changing times,” said Kenneth Cocklebur, vice president of the Really Important Projects Division at the national Chamber.

Approximately 319 million toys will flow into the North Pole just days before Christmas Day. Claus, Inc. is responsible for distributing all of them within hours Christmas Eve.

The press release states that employment at the toy distributor includes approximately 50 full-time workers, all of them Elves, plus seasonal employment from November to Christmas Eve.
It was unknown how many seasonal workers Claus, Inc. would employ in Panola County, or if the full-time Elf workers would relocate to Panola County.

Cocklebur said Claus, Inc. would be a Fortune 500 company if Santa required a fee, which he waives.
The new Airport Industrial Complex is located on 190 acres along Highway 35 North, adjacent to the airport and the sheriff’s department. The property has six remaining pads, including a 50-acre mega-site in the rear that Santa is considering according to local officials.

The industrial park is known for its eye-pleasing landscaped entrance and wrought-iron fencing.
The cost of the entrance has caused some grumbling among local officials, but Simmons said last year eye appeal is now commonplace at industrial parks to lure potential clients from the North and from overseas.

“Obviously I wasn’t thinking that far North when I said that last year,” Simmons told The Panolian.
Beyond his annual toy deliveries, Santa Claus has become familiar with Panola County. In recent years St. Nick was treated for a broken foot at Tri-Lakes Medical Center and has toured the GE Aviation plant in Batesville, where he purchased two jet engines to upgrade his sleigh.

Each year he has visited Panola County, Santa has also included names of local children he is watching extra closely as Christmas Day approaches.

Vinnie D. Elf faxed the following children’s names for publication in The Panolian: Aimee, Bailey, Bradley, Carver, Cole, David, Garrett, Hailey, Hannah, Hunter, Jackson, Jeremiah, Josh, Katie, Landon, Lily, Logan, Madison, Noah, Nolan, Parker, Ragon, Tanner, Tyler,  and Walker.

“Santa told me to tell you, ‘Straighten it up, kid,’” said Elf.