by Ezabelle Janssen, Staff Writer

BILOXI (GG) — Steel rose to the sky on April 2nd at the Mississippi Cyber and Technology Center site next to Keesler Air Force Base as leaders from Mississippi State University, the Air Force, and a network of partners gathered to sign and lift the building’s final beam into place, a tradition known as “topping out.” 

“This really is a milestone for us,” said Dr. Scott Willard, Vice President for Research and Economic Development at Mississippi State University. “This is the Cyber Security Center…built toward bringing partnerships together in the area of cybersecurity and digital forensics.”

For Willard, the significance wasn’t just in the beam itself, but in what it brings to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The facility will serve as the physical home of the Mississippi Cyber Initiative, designed to bring together partners across academia, industry, and the military. “We can bring them under one roof,” he said. “This is a place they can collect, train, learn, apply their knowledge, and take that back into the workforce.” 

As leaders and construction workers gathered around the beam, pen in hand, Ryan Markle, project executive with Ander Corp, called the moment a clear line in the sand for the build. “Today is a celebration of our topping-out milestone, which indicates that the structure is complete,” he said. “Now that that is done, we’ll start working on interiors and veneers.” Construction is expected to wrap in March, shifting the focus from beams and bolts to classrooms, offices, and collaborative spaces that will soon be filled with activity. Colonel Chris Robinson emphasized that the project has been years in the making and built through layered partnerships.“This is transformational,” Robinson said. “We can’t do it without the community. We can’t do it without our partners, and we can’t do it without venues like this that bring it together and make us better.” 

Once complete, the center will include office space for university researchers and private industry, classrooms to support Keesler’s cyber training mission, and an event space designed to keep collaboration in motion. It builds on the Mississippi Cyber Initiative, launched in 2021, which aims to position the state as a leader in cybersecurity while strengthening economic development along the Gulf Coast. 

By late morning, the beam was in place, the crowd beginning to thin, and the building one step closer to opening its doors.

(Photos by Ezabelle Janssen/The Gazebo Gazette)