John "Jack" McKay, Executive Vice President of the MS Manufacturing Association spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at its September 12, 2017, meeting. Per Mr. McKay, the MMA is a 60-year-old organization whose aim is to represent the interest of the manufacturers in the state and to lobby on their behalf. He focused his talk on the legislative needs of his members; i.e., infrastructure improvement, tax reform, and education. With respect to infrastructure, he commented that he wasn't too optimistic that the legislature would deliver the improvements that are needed for the manufacturers to receive their raw materials and to transport their products. Concerning, tax reform, he was more optimistic. The Legislature has passed legislation to eliminate the Franchise Tax over a period of years and to reduce the Inventory Tax. He commented that these taxes put Mississippi at a disadvantage versus other locations, domestic and international to attract new business. The third point that he made was the need to develop an educated workforce. We have an excellent group of community colleges that can produce the needed workers, but the candidates need to attend and graduate from those institutions. He expressed the opinion that jobs of the future will require technical skills to install, maintain and operate robotic equipment. He believes that the day of the lightly educated manual laborer is passed.
Mr. McKay is shown during his presentation in the accompanying photo. We thank him for his presentation and for his service to the State of Mississippi.
Club member Matt Monsour, who introduced Mr. McKay is shown seated to his right in the photo.
Club member Matt Monsour, who introduced Mr. McKay is shown seated to his right in the photo.