Eye on innovation: Hawkeye Industries grows niche, earns accolades

TUPELO – At the 55,000-square-foot Hawkeye Industries complex are several awards the company has won over the years.

They include company founder, president and CEO Bryan Hawkins being named U.S. Small Business Administration Small Business Person of the Year and the company’s placement three times on the Mississippi Business Journal’s top 50 fastest growing privately held companies.

Recognition from the Mississippi Manufacturers Association and other related groups also are displayed, a testament to Hawkeye’s place among the elite contract manufacturers of the state.

Recently, Hawkeye added another feather in its cap – it was named an “Innovator to Watch” by Innovate Mississippi at its 2016 Innovator’s Hall of Fame ceremony.

“It’s a nice honor,” said Hawkins. “Their focus is to try to build businesses within the state and build them up, whereas MDS is trying to recruit new businesses to the state. So Innovate Mississippi is trying to help small businesses and entrepreneurs, like helping them get patents on a new idea and try to connect them with companies in the state to help them get going.”

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