Bryan Hawkins is founder and president of Hawkeye Industries, Inc., in Tupelo, Mississippi. In business since 1995, Hawkeye Industries is a “high-tech” OEM contract manufacturer of precision fabricated sheet metal components and assemblies for a wide variety of manufacturers.

A native of Tupelo and a 1970 graduate of Tupelo High School, Bryan earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Mississippi. In 1999, Bryan retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the Mississippi Army National Guard where he served for 24 years as a helicopter pilot holding various command and staff positions in army aviation.

Hawkeye Industries has been selected, during biannual reviews by the Mississippi Business Journal, as one of Mississippi’s Top 40 fastest growing privately held businesses in 1999, 2001, and 2005. In 2003, Bryan was selected by the U.S. Small Business Administration to represent the state of Mississippi as their Small Businessperson of the Year in Washington, D.C. Since 2004, Bryan has been on the board of directors of the Mississippi Manufacturing Association serving as chairman in 2012 - 2013.

Bryan has served on the board and is past chairman of the Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs Foundation, the charitable arm of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, which is dedicated to the development and promotion of education and awareness programs geared toward current and future advanced manufacturing career development. With the support of the NBT foundation and in partnership with the Community Development Foundation, Itawamba Community College, Create Foundation, and other local manufacturers, Bryan was instrumental in creating the week-long advanced manufacturing day camps known as “Tek2Go” which are showcased each summer for students aged 12 – 15. A separate but identical camp is also conducted for regional teachers who get the opportunity to see how Advanced Manufacturing topics relate to subjects they are teaching. This community-based workforce collaboration was recently nationally recognized at the first annual NBT awards gala, where Tek2GO received the first ever Future of Industry award.

On a local and state level Bryan has served on various boards and committees, including Mississippi Manufacturer’s Association Workforce Development Board, The Renasant Community Bank Board, Northeast Mississippi Community Development Foundation Board, and the Tupelo Airport Authority Board. Bryan also shares much of his time and experiences with various school districts throughout the North Mississippi region serving as advisor and mentor to many teachers looking to enrich their curriculum with real world workforce expectations and demands.

Bryan Hawkins has been nominated for the Power of Industry Award for introducing the NBT camp model to the Tupelo region and the leadership, dedication, and passion the company has shown for the industry. The impact in the region has helped change attitudes towards advanced manufacturing and has created an interest in manufacturing careers that will affect generations to come.

An ISO 9001:2015 certified facility, Mastercut has the tools and technical support for all your machining needs. Utilizing their exclusive MAP manufacturing processes ensures the most consistent, high quality cutting tools for applications ranging from composites, exotic metals, acrylic, zirconium, wood, graphite, and many other materials.

In 2015, MasterCut sponsored the 5K Run or Walk for Education that brought together employees from around the world with a goal to impact the skills gap by changing how youth think about manufacturing careers. The first race was created and organized by Mastercut employees, in cooperation with the Shaluly Foundation LLC, who distributed all proceeds from the event to local and national manufacturing-focused organizations. This event has grown each year with the cooperation and support of Mastercut employees, manufacturing partners, area businesses, and the community of Safety Harbor to raise awareness of manufacturing. To date, the Manufacturing Education 5K has raised over $124,000 that has benefited manufacturing-focused organizations.

In 2016, NBT was one of four organizations chosen as a recipient for funds raised from the event. NBT has had the honor of attending and exhibiting at subsequent Manufacturing Education 5K events and continues to be a beneficiary, receiving nearly $29,000 in donations from this event..

In addition to supporting NBT’s mission to encourage tomorrow’s manufacturing workforce, Mastercut opens its doors on MFG Day, offering plant tours to local students each year.

Mastercut Tool Corp. has been nominated for the Impact on Industry award for their efforts in attracting the attention of a new generation of skilled workers in a fun and engaging way. This effort to identify and appeal to qualified skilled workers continues to benefit the community, manufacturers, and students who may become the next generation of manufacturers.