The Mississippi Main Street Association (MMSA) was chosen out of 100 nominations from Corinth to the Gulf Coast to be this year’s Overall Winner of the Mississippi Pinnacle Award.
Each year, an out-of-state panel of judges selects a dozen of Mississippi’s best nominees in each of the competition categories, which include individuals, businesses/organizations, and events.
MMSA was presented the Mississippi Pinnacle Award by Vasti Jackson, Mississippi’s musical ambassador who won the overall award last year, during the Pinnacle Awards Gala in Hattiesburg on Tuesday.
“The Mississippi Main Street Association is incredibly honored to receive the 2023 Mississippi Pinnacle Award,” MMSA Executive Director Thomas Gregory said. “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.”
Gregory stated that the association has a wide reach across the state, with a large number of downtown areas joining together to improve their cities.
“We’ve got 48 designated Main Street programs, which is our highest level of membership. Those are communities that are invested in a downtown revitalization effort, they have a local executive director, and a board of directors that supports the work locally,” Gregory explained. “We’ve got programs from DeSoto County all the way down to the Gulf Coast, in the Delta, the hills, and the capitol area. All parts of the state have Main Street programs.”
All funds that are 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.
