Familial Networks and Regional Entrepreneurs in Northeast Mississippi's Upholstered Furniture Industry

Using a sample of 75 owners, we examine the role of familial networks in the establishment and proliferation of the upholstered furniture industry in Northeast Mississippi. Our data show that strong familial and associational ties are linked to the original furniture plant and its owner–approximately 70 percent of our sample. Owners have used these strong-ties typical of rural regions to facilitate a regional development outcome where owners do not see each other as competitors, but they share in knowledge resources. There is a general feeling that, "There is plenty to go around, just let me get my fair share." When local competition represents one's friends and/or family, competition moves to a more distant, less intimate focus thus facilitating even more local entrepreneurial opportunities.