From atop south Jackson's "Hill" in his newly finished Nissan dealership, Deuce McAllister can look at downtown's skyline.

The view takes in the King Edward Hotel and Standard Life Building - two of the city's most iconic structures, buildings that he and his business partners plan to revitalize.

Historic buildings and an auto dealership are just part of his growing business empire.

Financially, the 6-foot-1 football player hopes his enterprises will rival his NFL salary, an income that surpassed $7 million last year.

"As a running back, you know your body's going to only be able to take so much. I love the game, I enjoy playing the game and I might coach someday, but, at some point, I'm going to have to walk away from it. So this gives me the opportunity to learn while I'm still playing, but at the same time I'm enjoying what I'm doing," he said.

The 28-year-old New Orleans Saints star grew up in rural Scott County. His demeanor is far from the Lamborghini-driving, jet-set glam of many big-city professional athletes.

McAllister is polite, down-to-earth and approachable. He drives a pickup - a Mississippi-made, four-door Titan. He's dedicated to his family, splitting his home between Ludlow and the Crescent City. And he spends spare time raising money for charities including his own, Catch 22 Foundation.

McAllister's business dealings reflect his homespun values - he pushes himself to succeed and hopes to inspire the same in others.

As a partner in historic restoration projects, he hopes to bring more residents and commerce to cities' downtowns. By linking with a facilities management company, McAllister's group landed a contract to manage the Capital City Convention Center.

Through partnerships with minority-owned construction materials firms, McAllister plans to build a supply network for his and others' projects while building up underutilized businesses.

Auto dealerships have brought hundreds of direct-employment and construction jobs. And his group of business partners' plans are to add more car dealerships - definitely in Mississippi, possibly in Jackson.

Matt Bataille is the 36-year-old whiz kid who put together many of McAllister's endeavors. As chief operating officer and partner in McAllister's umbrella company, he oversees daily affairs.

Their friendship grew into plans for a dealership since Bataille already was working in the industry. Having seen various businesses leave Jackson over the past decades and property values depreciate, they decided to concentrate on the capital.

They opened a used-car dealership in south Jackson in 2005 while Bataille put a year's worth of leg work into landing a Nissan franchise. Their Nissan store, next door to the used-car dealership, opened in May 2006.

Bataille credits McAllister's Mississippi roots, his minority status (which automakers seek for dealers) and the nearby location of the Nissan plant in Canton for helping land the franchise.

And the dealership has delivered, becoming the top Nissan dealer in the state for the past three months. Bataille said the dealership brought 68 direct jobs and is restoring the once-thriving auto business on "The Hill."

The pair hooked up with trucking firm J.B. Hunt to buy Holman Volkswagen Audi Jaguar. Work is under way to convert the former SaveRite on I-55 North into a new dealership that will add the Land Rover nameplate.

McAllister, whose company owns a minority position in the dealership, said he's working to buy a majority share from J.B. Hunt.

Amid all this, McAllister and Bataille partnered with Jackson lawyer David Watkins and New Orleans-based HRI, a restorer of historic properties. Watkins was years-deep into a bid to revitalize the King Edward Hotel.

"I was sitting there and was like 'Oh, Lord, another competitor.' So I picked up the phone and called this guy Matt Bataille," Watkins said.

The trio serve as the local connection for HRI, which is the principal director in the project. It's become an effective team as McAllister also brings minority ownership, which can be an advantage in winning projects that involve public funding.

The same group will revitalize Meridian's Threefoot building, a downtown art-deco tower. Meridian Chief Administrative Officer Ken Storms said HRI was selected about a year ago.

Investment in the project could top $30 million and it could be complete in 2009. Watkins said the building will be renovated into some combination of hotel suites to support Meridian's downtown cultural institutions.

The historic restorations team last month got Jackson's nod to rework the nearly 80-year-old Standard Life Building into apartments and retail space. The Jackson Redevelopment Authority, which owns the two buildings, plans to transfer the deeds this month. Watkins said the $28 million Standard Life project was possible because they could use many of the same financial backers and tax breaks already in place for the King Edward.

Jimmy Heidel, Jackson's economic development consultant - who coincidentally decades ago wore the same number 26 Saints jersey as McAllister - said Jackson is on the verge of resurgence thanks to investors like McAllister and his partners.

"We're proud of him. Not only is he a great individual and a gentleman, but he cares about the state and the city," Heidel said.

By partnering with SMG, a worldwide facilities management and marketing company that manages the New Orleans Superdome, Bataille parlayed McAllister's local connections into a contract to manage the Capital City Convention Center. The $64 million building is under construction in Jackson.

"We typically like to have local folks partner with us. They're typically smaller, minority-owned businesses. It creates synergies and because they're part of the local community, they provide understanding of the area that we don't have," said Lewis Dawley, SMG regional vice president.

SMG and McAllister's group in February signed the multi-year management contract, a deal that could grow to include the TelCom Center's operations.

McAllister, Watkins and Bataille also have been the big fish, partnering with smaller, minority-owned companies. The group recently bought into Capital Construction Supplies. Expect more of the same, McAllister said, including concrete plants in central Mississippi and on the Gulf Coast.

Critics have said McAllister is in over his head on projects like the $72 million King Edward renovation and that his name is window dressing for partners interested in spending his earnings.

It's not uncommon for athletes to fail financially, said Michael McCann, assistant professor of sports law at Mississippi College. "A lot of players make so much money in such a short time that they don't adjust well to their postcareer income," he said. "The smart thing to do is to invest and work with experienced business people."

Look at former NBA star Dave Bing, who built an auto-supply empire in Michigan, he said.

"I think the desire to rehabilitate a part of the country, in particular Jackson, is probably unique to Deuce. Many other players leave their area and don't maintain the connection he has. He really is an exception, someone who sees the forest rather than the trees," McCann said.

McAllister said his eyes are wide open, his business partners are trustworthy and, although he's not involved in the day-to-day management, the big decisions aren't made without his input.

He said he's put away enough rainy-day money in case his businesses should fail.

"I'm just looking for a way to invest my money in a way that I would enjoy. This (Nissan dealership) was the first major project I got involved in, and it spurred me into so many other things that I knew I could do. If I'm on this platform that people look up to, you want to do it in the right way," he said.

"This is home. And you have to be proud of where you're from. And with this being the capital city, you should want this to be the sparkling gem of the state. This city should be proud of what we have. And not to say that we aren't, but we could do a lot better. We're between New Orleans and Memphis, and you see their downtowns, what they have, and I think we have that same type of potential."