When aerospace engineering major Eric Hill and accounting major Daniel Payne met through a young entrepreneurs' group on the social networking site Facebook in November 2008, the pair never expected to be business partners a few months later.
Both were interested in business start-ups and, after sharing ideas, they joined forces to found High Cotton, a "coffee reader" newspaper devoted to highlighting local culture, artisans and community businesses.
The free, four-page paper—filled with feature articles and interviews—is printed and distributed weekly throughout the Starkville area.
"Eric and I both are business-minded and saw this as a great opportunity," Payne said. "There is so much culture in this area, as well as talented artists and business people with interesting stories to tell. This isn't hard news. It's something people can enjoy reading over their coffee. It's an opportunity to learn a little more about the community."