LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

TO THE MISSISSIPPI AUTOMOTIVE COMMUNITY -

First, I want to thank you for allowing me the privilege to serve as President and be part of an organization that not only gives back, but allows friendships to be developed within our industry. MAMA has been a long-standing and valuable component of my career and relationships here in Mississippi and I am honored to follow the footsteps of some great leaders in the industry to serve in this role.

Over the last 18 years, Mississippi has welcomed 3 OEMs – Nissan, Toyota, and PACCAR – along with several important Tier 1, 2, and 3 suppliers. The potential of this industry was recognized early on, and as a commitment to ensure its success, the Mississippi Automotive Manufacturers Association was formed. Since 2005, MAMA has provided a forum for interaction among automotive manufacturing companies within our state as a professional networking association, but it’s so much more than that.

The MAMA board has spent the last few months rebranding our organization to best represent all that MAMA, and the automotive industry in Mississippi, represents. Through these efforts we have launched a new logo and our brand new website. In addition to these changes, we have started to incorporate more value-added events providing a good mix of industry informative and scholarship fundraising programs.

The Mississippi Automotive Manufacturers Association Scholarship Program is an important pillar of our mission. Since 2006, we have provided more than $400,000 in scholarships to students pursuing degrees in programs related to automotive manufacturing across the state. This year we have incorporated changes to our scholarship program to better serve the future of our automotive industry. Please check out the scholarship portion of our website for more information on the program and how to apply.

The next few years will be busy and exciting for our association as we continue to develop and incorporate value-added programs that reflect our industry and provide additional benefits to our members.

In addition to MAMA hosted events, members are invited to attend events hosted by our sister organizations – AAMA (AL), GAMA (GA), and TAMA, (TN). These four associations have formed the Southern Automotive Manufacturers Alliance (SAMA) in an effort to strengthen the automotive industry within our region in a coordinated way between the southern states. Given the continuous changes in technology in our industry, the need for constructive engagement and sharing best practices is more important than ever.

I am honored to serve as your President, and look forward to a productive, successful year and invite each of you to participate and, most importantly, to become involved.

Best regards,

Ryan Miller
President, MAMA