Yazoo entrepreneurs and business owners Nick and Ann King were recently honored with the Mississippi College’s Order of the Golden Arrow.
The 2005 MC graduates were about to board a plane headed to Zimbabwe, Africa, for a month-long family ministry trip when they spotted a group of friends coming up an airport elevator and holding a sign that said “Congratulations.”
That’s how Nick, CEO and founder of American Irrigation and president and founder of Gracewater, and Ann, a former teacher and vice president of Gracewater, discovered they had been selected to receive the Order of the Golden Arrow at MC’s 2025 Homecoming festivities.
“Nick and Ann exemplify the very best of what it means to be Mississippi College alumni,” said Jake Donald, MC director of alumni and family engagement. “Through their faith, leadership and lifelong commitment to serving others, they have represented MC with excellence in both their personal and professional lives.”
“Honoring them with the Order of the Golden Arrow award is not only a celebration of their remarkable accomplishments and their heart for ministry, but also a reflection of the lasting Kingdom impact they continue to make on those around them,” Donald added.
The Order of the Golden Arrow honors individuals, alumni or friends of the University who have made outstanding personal or professional achievements in their professions, businesses or careers. It recognizes exceptional performance or leadership beyond the ordinary.
That describes the Kings’ life’s work. Ann, a Yazoo City native, and Nick, born in Lexington, met through a mutual friend at MC freshman orientation and married before their senior year of college. Throughout their courtship and marriage, the couple shared a heart for missions.
Nick grew up immersed in his family’s agricultural consulting business and developed a love of agriculture. When the couple graduated from MC, Nick rejoined his family’s business before launching a consulting company and developing a successful agriculture remote management device called PrecisionKing.
Shortly afterward, the Kings began a ministry called Gracewater, a non-profit missions organization that focuses on spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ while also addressing the global water crisis. Gracewater drills wells and provides clean water to those with little or no access to it, primarily in the Republic of Zimbabwe.
“Since water is life, and water is so scarce (in Zimbabwe), it is an amazing tool to connect people to the Living Water that is only in Christ,” Ann said.
Later, the Kings began another branch of Gracewater called Grace Institute, where they teach, lead and disciple a group of 18- to 20-year-old orphaned men on their farm in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. In late 2024, Nick embarked on a new business venture by merging two flourishing irrigation dealers in South Georgia to create American Irrigation, which has grown to six locations throughout Georgia and Florida. The Kings also founded Jitney (Webb’s) Pharmacy, with locations in their hometowns of Lexington and Yazoo City.
MC connections run deep with the Kings and their work. Last summer, a group of their closest friends from college traveled to Zimbabwe to drill a water well for a community and to share the Gospel.
“What’s even better is they brought their children to do missions as a family,” Ann said. “Because of their Christian walk and the leadership opportunities given by MC and the environment we chose to be in at MC, we can share in a deep, transparent and faith-filled relationship that only comes from the Lord.”
Nick said the lifelong friendships and relationships the couple made at MC have been a foundation of their entrepreneurial success.
“My experience at MC was one of the sweetest seasons of my life,” he said. “The friends that I made have been the people that I do life with and celebrate the highs and lows with.”
“Ann and I want all the glory to go to God,” he added. “My hope is the younger generation at MC will be encouraged. Ann and I were once right in their shoes as students. We want them to do exceptional things for the Kingdom of God.”
