The Mississippi Main Street Association (MMSA) was awarded the Mississippi Pinnacle Award by the Sales and Marketing Professionals (SMP) at the Pinnacle Awards Gala held on April 11 at The Lake Terrace Convention Center in Hattiesburg.
The Mississippi Pinnacle Awards recognize, promote, and honor excellence, professionalism, and outstanding achievement in sales, marketing, and community engagement and showcase the highest level of public relations talent in the state.
From Corinth to the Coast, over 100 nominations were tendered by Mississippi citizens for the annual competition. An out-of-state panel of judges narrowed the list of Magnolia State hopefuls to a “Dandy Dozen” in each of the competition categories: individuals, businesses/organizations, and events.
The Mississippi Pinnacle Award was the final award announced, and Vasti Jackson, Mississippi’s musical ambassador who won the overall award last year, entertained and presented the 2023 Overall Winner award to MMSA.
“The Mississippi Main Street Association is incredibly honored to receive the 2023 Mississippi Pinnacle Award,” said Thomas Gregory, MMSA Executive Director. “Our team works hard to serve and support our local Main Street communities throughout the state, and we are grateful to be recognized for the work we do to facilitate the revitalization of Mississippi’s historic downtowns.”
Monies raised through the Pinnacle event are used to provide scholarships to deserving high school and college students each year. Known as the Rising Star Scholarships, these awards are given to students who will pursue careers in sales, marketing, public relations or community engagement.
“Sales and Marketing Professionals salutes the achievements and talents of Mississippi owners, directors, account executives, event planners, and community volunteers who are an integral part of the Magnolia State,” said Michael Marks, Mississippi Pinnacle Awards Chair. “We celebrate the vision of the practitioners, who acknowledge as a sign of success, the premise that we should all know and be able to tell our civic stories!”
