Proffers Champaign and Caviar for the Invited
By Sara Pentz
Travel Ridgeland’s Old Agency Road outside of Jackson and along the way you’ll come upon an authentic replication of an early southern residence reflecting the epitome of Greek Revival style from around 1850, and the vernacular Creole style from the 18th Century. It’s called Jackson’s Camp and it is the private home of Hugo and Susan Daniel Newcomb.
The home represents the rich and authentic architectural detail of the Newcomb’s personal photographic collection of old homes, based on their extensive library of books on period homes and architecture, and their collection of rare and historic original architectural handbooks by Asher Benjamin and Minard LeFever used by builders of the era.
Jackson’s Camp sits along the 444-mile Natchez Trace Parkway that commemorates an ancient trail connecting southern portions of the Mississippi River to salt licks in today’s central Tennessee. Over the centuries, the Choctaw, Chickasaw and other American Indians left their marks on the Trace. The Natchez Trace experienced its heaviest use from 1785 to 1820 by the “Kaintuck” boatmen that floated the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to markets in Natchez and New Orleans.
Young Andrew Jackson was a regular traveler on Old Agency Road, the original Natchez Trace, in his many roles as a bridegroom in 1791––then as lawyer, pioneer, businessman, entrepreneur and military leader in the Indian wars, as the famous General and hero marching his troops home from the Battle of New Orleans in 1815, as representative of the U. S. government at the Treaty of Doak’s Stand in 1820, and after serving as President of the United States traveling to the new state capital city named after him for a farewell speech to the Mississippi Legislature, and a stay at the old Eagle Hotel in 1840.
Before the l830s you would come across names like Ogburn, Dean, Red Bluff, Breadshers, Ward, Doak, Crowder, Anderson, Shoat, and French camp that represented some of the stands and towns along that Trace. Now the most popular destination along that old trail is Jackson’s Camp and it is more than merely a home for Hugo and Susan Newcomb.
The Camp is set among five lush wooded acres with three buildings and a pool pavilion. The main feature is a courtyard encircled by three verandas. On the fourth side of the house is a conservatory. The environment is old south and peaceful with gardens and fountains to calm the spirit.
Behind this bucolic scene, however, is an active business about to burst into full bloom and if you listen closely you can hear the rattling of pots and pans and smell the fragrance of freshly baked bread.
It is the home of Capital Cities Consultants, the brainchild of Capital City Consultants partners Susan Daniel Newcomb and Nancy C. Bowering. “CCC is an event planning, destination management company,” explains Newcomb. “Most people understand event and meeting planning, but destination management is a phrase or concept not familiar or understood by too many.”
And so, the restored home along that history trail is now a place for contemporary parties, charity fundraisers, weddings, business meetings and special events managed by these two experienced executives who take their recipe for success straight out of the southern tradition of gracious hospitality and business savvy. It’s a rich mix of congeniality, deal-making and new beginnings.
With a total of sixty years experience in organizing, planning and promotion of education, travel, meeting and events, the two women conceive, organize, coordinate and produce events such as board meetings, receptions, seminars, banquets, retreats, or just whatever is needed by any group, corporation and association. “Some of these groups may have a part-time meeting planner on staff,” adds Newcomb, “and CCC can assist this person, who usually has other assigned duties, to make the meeting or event planning arrangements and production of these functions.
Newcomb spent 30 years in healthcare and academia planning educational courses, presenting workshops and managing educational academic programs––developing, planning, and the presentation of conferences, workshops and symposia, and publication of books and journal articles. Bowering's 14-year career in the travel industry included experiences in individual and group travel and tours, She planned and organized business and corporate incentive travel and tours for groups.
Newcomb was looking for something to do after leaving academia. “The business started after a brain storming session with a friend who was looking for employment,” she explains. An initial attempt to begin an event planning consulting company with that friend fell apart when hurricane Katrina wrought its devastation.
“In October 2005, my husband Hugo and I contacted our travel agent, Nancy Bowering, regarding plans for a trip. Nancy and I had become friends over the years, and I got to know more about her family and she learned about mine as she assisted us with travel arrangements. During the discussion regarding trip arrangements, we talked about our future work plans. She was in the process of leaving the travel industry that she had been in for 13-plus years and I was “on hold” with the start up of CCC. After a couple of meetings and discussion, Nancy joined us in November to assist in the start up of the company. There are two of us full time. My husband is part-time handling and reviewing contracts and such details, and others are employed part-time for events as required.
“One thing just grew out of another and we began using our skill sets of working with the public, presenting, teaching and managing people,” she adds. “We had this beautiful space. It was a natural to do event planning and destination management. It’s not fraught without it’s own problems. But you make it happen without the client knowing there’s a catastrophe going on in the kitchen. That’s what makes it fun.”
Capital Cities Consultants has only been in business since January 2006, but already the businesswomen have organized events for groups of up to thirty, held board meetings and seminars in the conservatory, and hosted receptions for over 200 in the spacious courtyard and on surrounding verandahs. “People kept asking us if we were doing weddings,” explains Newcomb. “And we said––well, why not? Having a party is enjoying it while you’re having it. It’s not rocket science. But it does require a lot of attention to details. And I like to add a little extra something that the client hasn’t expected just to make the event extra special.”
Actually, the Newcomb’s had been inviting groups of guests to their home for charitable events since the completion of their property. “My husband sits on a number of boards so we opened our home. Our original intent of the business was to do corporate meetings, but soon we were doing weddings. It just made sense. Now we are doing off premises events. In fact we are planning a ‘Curtain Call Party’ for the USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson at Landmark Center when the competition is here from June 17 – July 2.”
A lit of events quickly identify Jackson’s Camp as no boy’s scout retreat. Here parties have been prepared and enjoyed by some of Jackson’s finest including: a fundraiser for the re-election of Ridgeland, MS Mayor Gene McGee, the Mississippi Heritage Trust’s Annual Board Meeting, the Friends of the International Ballet Competition’s Dinner in Stages in 2004, a Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s Preview Party, The McClean Fletcher Center (A service of Hospice Ministries, Inc. and Mississippi’s First Grief Support Center for Children) fourth annual “Heartstrings” Gala 2005, the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s/Annual Board Meeting, the Madison County Foundation Board Christmas Party, the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce, the Madison County Foundation/Annual Board Of Director’s Meeting, the Associated Builders and Contractors/Annual Board Meeting, and the Cancer League of Mississippi VIP Party––just to name a few.
Hugo Newcomb is on the board of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation/Mississippi Chapter and the Mississippi Heritage Trust. Susan’s association memberships and boards memberships include American Dental Hygienist’s Association, Journal of Dental Hygiene/Editorial Review Board, American Dental Education Association, American Association for Dental Research, International Association for Dental Research, American Association of Public Health Dentistry, Dimensions of Dental Hygiene/Editorial Advisory Board, Friends of the International Ballet/Treasurer, Jubilate Chorale/Executive Director.
“As a Destination Management (DMC) company, CCC is the only such company in Mississippi recognized by the Association of Destination Management Executives,” Newcomb adds with pride. “A DMC works with groups from outside the area (state or region) who are interested in having a meeting in the Jackson metropolitan area or other areas within the state of Mississippi.”
As for the future, says Newcomb, “I would like to see CCC become the premier planning and event destination company in Mississippi and this region. Of course, that would mean competing with Memphis and New Orleans. But certainly there’s a geographical swath that’s not getting any attention. There may not be very many people who want to come to Mississippi as a destination now. However I think that in the future that will change.”
###
