Carl Johnson (second from right), chairman and chief executive officer of II-VI Incorporated, was welcomed to Starkville Monday by (l-r), Tommy Tomlinson of the Greater Starkville Development Partnership, MSU President Charles Lee, and Rep. Chip Pickering, R-Miss. II-VI announced a partnership with SemiSouth Laboratories, a manufacturer of silicon carbide products used in semiconductors. SemiSouth is a spin-off from MSU research.