Contact: Vanessa Beeson

STARKVILLE, Mississippi – A Mississippi State University reshoring summit Aug. 11 aims to help businesses profitably bring manufacturing jobs back home to the U.S.

The Make it in America Summit takes place at the university’s Franklin Furniture Institute, located on campus at the intersection of Blackjack Road and Locksley Way.

The program is designed for manufacturers and their supply chains, economic developers and relevant university employees and faculty. Attendees will see what has worked and find the resources to make the right sourcing and siting decisions.

A $50 admission fee to the space-limited event includes lunch, refreshments and conference materials. The one-day summit runs from 8:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. with registration beginning at 7:45 a.m.

Harry Moser, president and founder of the Reshoring Initiative, will discuss current reshoring trends.   

“Companies often don’t consider all of the costs involved in moving jobs overseas,” Moser said. “The Reshoring Initiative was founded in 2010 to show business owners how to produce and source locally while minimizing cost and meeting consumer needs.”

Panel discussions and presentations detail reshoring efforts and strategies at the state and local levels. Presenters include experts from the Mississippi Development Authority, MSU Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems Extension, Mississippi Automotive Manufacturer’s Association, InnovateMEP Mississippi and more.

In addition, the summit will provide insight into the Make it in America (MIIA) program centered in Mississippi. This program focuses on the reshoring of jobs in the state with an emphasis on local manufacturing in Mississippi. Representatives from several Mississippi manufacturers will join panels to discuss benefits their companies realized from participating in the program, including Yokohama, Caterpillar and Affordable Furniture. 

“The Make it in America program in Mississippi is three years in the making,” said Clay Walden, director of the MSU Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems Extension. “Our program, which includes several local, statewide and national stakeholders, has been successful in working with Mississippi manufacturers on ways to bring jobs back to the Magnolia State.”

The program, which was funded by a three-year federal grant, ends in September 2016. Entities that made MIIA possible include the U.S. Economic Development Administration, National Institute of Standards and Technology – Manufacturing Extension Partnership, Delta Regional Authority and the U.S. Department of Labor Employment Training Administration.

The event is sponsored by MSU’s Franklin Furniture Institute and Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems Extension (CAVS-E), InnovateMEP Mississippi, MSU Forest and Wildlife Research Center and the MSU Extension Service.

To register or obtain more information, contact Amy Garrard at 662-325-8453 or a.garrard@msstate.edu.