SMA embraces rebranding effort

Southwest Meat Association rebrands as SMA as the group's growth increasingly comes from outside of the Southwest.

Photo credit: SMA

Participating in SMA’s Strategic Planning Session at the Standard Meat Co. headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, were (from left) Lacy Bates, SMA; Tyler Kusak, Yoakum Packing Co.; Karrie Menz, Surlean Foods; Jason Holcombe. StartKleen Legacy; Joe Harris, SMA; Jonathan Pace, Smokey Denmark Smoked Meats; Jarrod Miller, USM Manufacturing; Ed Ruff, Morrilton Packing Co.; Jason Beyer, ABF Packing; David Englutt, Marel; Pat Nicholson, Farm to Market Foods; Jim Ondrusek, Pederson’s Natural Farms; ,Ken Cable, Sysco Specialty Meat Group; and Bobby Yarborough, Manda Packing Co.

KFC, Dunkin’, FFA, and Meta are all entities that have rebranded in the last few years. Rebranding a company is a way to signal a shift focus and realign with corporate strategy, consumer values, and bring a fresh perspective to the organization.

This is why in May 2024, SMA collaborated with industry professionals, SMA staff and Board of Directors to re-evaluate SMA’s core strategies, mission and vision, as well as the association’s name. Since 2018, Southwest Meat Association has seen membership increasingly grow outside of the southwestern region of the US, which can be confusing to convey to companies outside of the organization. It was time for a shift. In present day, SMA is proud to represent member companies in more than 30 states throughout the US. Therefore, moving forward, Southwest Meat Association will be rebranding to SMA.

During SMA’s strategic planning meeting, it was the desired time to transform the association’s mission and vision statement into a fulfilling promise to our members for years to come.

Mission: To support U.S. processors and their suppliers through networking, advocacy, education and regulatory expertise.

Vision: To be the nation’s leading food industry association whose members cultivate a culture of excellence through shared core values, enhancing opportunities for their long-term success.

Values:

Family

SMA agrees to include family in every aspect of the business. With numerous family-owned businesses within the association, SMA will continue to produce family-friendly events and provide support for family businesses.

Leadership

SMA vows to be a leading food industry trade association by employing and collaborating with top talent in the industry to advocate for the association and its members.

Integrity

SMA promises to preserve the integrity of the association by being honest, truthful, and righteous for each member company.

Excellence

SMA pledges to excel in all aspects of the association and provide excellence to our membership.

Credibility

Through it all SMA guarantees to be a creditable industry association bringing value to each member company and to other industry associations.

Strategies:

Core Strategy 1: Define membership value and communicate with members regularly to encourage engagement and retention.
Core Strategy 2: Identify opportunities to increase regular membership and associate membership to ensure the long-term sustainability of SMA.
Core Strategy 3: Identify opportunities to increase revenue to ensure the long-term sustainability of SMA.
Core Strategy 4: Increase engagement with new universities to attract students and access educational content.

SMA is ambitious to move forward with our newfound strategies and mission to realign the association for current and future members. So long Southwest Meat Association. Hello, SMA!