This fall, Mazda Toyota Manufacturing was honored with the 2025 Community Philanthropy Award at the 16th annual Summit on Philanthropy, hosted by the Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville. This recognition reflects MTM’s deep commitment to community investment and the positive impact our team has delivered across North Alabama.

The Summit on Philanthropy honors individuals and organizations whose generosity nurtures long-lasting change in our region. MTM was selected as this year’s recipient for its thoughtful, sustained support of nonprofit partners and initiatives that strengthen education, economic development, and quality of life throughout Madison, Limestone, and Morgan counties.

Since its founding in 2018, MTM has invested more than $2.5 million in North Alabama through corporate giving and the MTM Grant Fund, which is hosted and administered in partnership with the Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville. In 2025 alone, the grant fund exceeded $1 million in awards to nonprofit organizations and community programs, driving measurable impact in our region.

“Many people don’t realize that there is only one Mazda Toyota Manufacturing in the world, and it exists right here in Huntsville, Alabama,” said Rhonda Gilyard, MTM’s Vice President of Administration. “That is why it is so important to us to invest in this community: to invest in the people who live here, and not just the ones who work for us.”

The MTM Grant Fund was created to engage local nonprofits in a collaborative effort to support meaningful programming in three core areas:

• Education
• Economic impact
• Quality of life

These priorities reflect our philosophy of Mendomi: caring for one another like family and investing where we live and work.

At the Summit on Philanthropy event, community leaders and partner organizations shared heartfelt testimonials about the impact of MTM’s work. Our partners, including educators, nonprofit leaders, and civic stakeholders, spoke to the real-world difference that sustained local investment makes in people’s lives.

We were especially humbled by Governor Kay Ivey’s touching message, which highlighted MTM’s growing legacy as not just a major employer in the region, but also a community partner committed to strengthening North Alabama beyond the factory gates.

MTM’s philanthropy extends beyond financial grants. Our team members actively engage with the community through volunteer efforts, school support initiatives, and year-round giving programs. From backpack drives to trail clean-ups to community celebrations, MTM’s commitment is people-first and purpose-driven.

This award recognizes the relationships we’ve built, the organizations we’ve supported, and the neighbors whose lives are touched by collaborative investment.

As we reflect on this honor, we are reminded that MTM’s success is intertwined with the strength of the community around us. Every partner, nonprofit, educator, and community leader who shares this vision has played a role in shaping a more vibrant North Alabama. We are grateful for the opportunity to give back, to learn from others, and to continue investing in this region.

This August, MTM announced a partnership with Morgan County Schools Technology Park and Huntsville City Schools Center for Technology to launch the LIGHT Program: Leading Industry Growth by Helping Teachers.

At its core, the program is about connection: coupling classrooms with real-world industry expertise and connecting students with the skills and confidence they’ll need for future careers.

Through LIGHT, MTM will provide an instructor’s aide who brings hands-on industry knowledge directly into classrooms. Starting in August 2025, MTM Group Leader, Courtney Franklin, will serve in this role, rotating between the two school districts to support teachers and inspire students with her technical expertise.

The program will initially launch at Brewer High School and the MCS Technology Park in Morgan County, as well as the brand-new Center for Technology in Huntsville City Schools.

This isn’t MTM’s first step into education. Since breaking ground in 2018, Mazda and Toyota have contributed over $750,000 toward STEM education and workforce development in North Alabama. In 2022, MTM also began its Grant Fund, which has since distributed nearly $1 million to support school districts, STEM initiatives, and workforce programming.

Franklin will support Huntsville City and Morgan County schools for up to three school years, with the opportunity to rotate into other districts as the program expands. MTM hopes this model will not only grow across North Alabama but also inspire other industry partners to join in.

“Ultimately, we’d love to see this kind of collaborative program benefitting even more students and building stronger pipelines to industry,” Fernandes concluded.

That’s why we’ve developed a comprehensive education outreach program designed to spark curiosity and highlight career pathways in manufacturing.

“It’s a holistic approach,” offered Rylee A., Education and Community Partnerships Specialist.

MTM’s hands-on approach to student engagement starts as early as elementary school, where we support STEM education through fun, hands-on learning. For example, MTM recently supported Horizon Elementary School’s STEM class, as students were tasked with creating an attachment for their robot vehicle to protect a fragile “passenger”—an egg. Activities like this allow students to connect classroom learning with real-world problem-solving.

As students grow, so do the opportunities to connect with our team. MTM regularly:

One of our most impactful initiatives is our Annual High School Senior Day of Work. This is an opportunity for graduating seniors to participate in the application process for a production team member position. As a one-day field trip, students work in the vehicle cabs, take an online test, complete job-placement optimization, and participate in an interview. Those who pass are able to walk across the stage at graduation with a contingent job offer in hand.

Our commitment to engagement doesn’t stop once a student graduates from high school. MTM continues its education partnerships at the post-secondary and collegiate levels. MTM partners with local community colleges, such as Calhoun, Drake State, and Wallace State, through the FAME apprenticeship program, which blends classroom instruction with paid, hands-on work experience.

MTM also has a college internship program, in partnership with the Alabama Productivity Center, for juniors and seniors pursuing degree programs such as engineering, business, supply chain & logistics, human resources, and related fields. This is an opportunity for students to gain exposure to the dynamic work environment and support a process improvement through a tangible project.

MTM prides itself on its commitment to students and building a workforce pipeline. Since 2023, we have reached nearly 25,000 students through our education outreach efforts.

Email our Education & Community Partnerships Specialist at engagements@mazdatoyota.com.

At this year’s 28th Annual Applied Ergonomics Conference, MTM once again showcased its culture of innovation and collaboration by entering the Ergo Cup® Competition. Representing the Tool & Die Maintenance team from our Stamping Shop, our project highlighted a homegrown ergonomic solution: The Side Pin Extractor.

The Ergo Cup® Competition recognizes creative solutions that address workplace ergonomic challenges. Projects are judged on innovation, employee involvement, ergonomic risk reduction, and business impact, and our Side Pin Extractor delivered on all fronts.

Before our kaizen, removing stuck pins from stamping dies was a physically demanding and inefficient process. Team members used a slide hammer that required high force and awkward posture, often for extended periods. Some extractions took up to 7–8 hours per pin, increasing the risk of injury and production downtime. The constant need to rebuild slide hammer thread adapters only added to the inefficiency.

Without any prompting from management, team members in Tool & Die identified the hazard and took initiative. Using scrap materials, they designed and fabricated a new Side Pin Extractor that threads into the pin and uses a simple hex nut to apply pulling force. The device can also integrate with a portable hydraulic jack, already in use in the shop, for added efficiency.

Through three major design kaizens—each informed by feedback from team members across shifts—the tool evolved to its current state. The final version is not only effective and safe but also easy to store on preventative maintenance carts, saving additional walk time.

The results speak for themselves:

We’re proud of the Tool & Die team’s commitment to safety and continuous improvement. Special thanks to Jacob P., John K., Tony M., Craig G., Garrett C., Jason D., Ken B., and Daniel B., as well as every Tool & Die team member who contributed to the design iterations.

At MTM, even our smallest teams drive significant change. The Side Pin Extractor is more than just a tool—it’s a testament to the power of collaboration and the ingenuity of our people.

At this year’s Applied Ergonomics Conference, MTM proudly submitted a second entry to the Ergo Cup® Competition—this time from our Discovery Logistics team. The project, known as the Tote Slide, showcases the power of collaboration and rapid innovation in eliminating a persistent ergonomic burden in one of our highest-risk areas.

The Ergo Cup® Competition celebrates practical, impactful solutions to workplace ergonomic challenges. Projects are evaluated based on innovation, employee involvement, risk reduction, and business impact, and this one delivered results that checked every box.

Before the kaizen, team members in Logistics were manually lifting wire harness totes into the heater barn—a tight, repetitive task that placed significant strain on the body. It was one of the top injury-risk processes in the Internal Logistics Shop due to awkward lifting and constrained movement.

Working side-by-side with team members, the internal Kaizen team developed a simple but highly effective solution in just four days. The Tote Slide allows tugger operators to pull directly up to the delivery point and slide totes into place, eliminating the need for lifting.

The tool was designed and fabricated in-house, undergoing multiple iterations based on feedback from team members. Kaizen team members even performed the job themselves to understand the pain points and ensure the solution directly addressed them.

Not only did the Tote Slide dramatically improve safety, but it also has strong potential for scalability. The same concept could be applied to other tugger delivery processes involving flow racks or similar equipment across the facility.

This project reflected MTM’s commitment to cross-functional teamwork and continuous improvement. Key contributors included Joel D., Will R., Josh Y., Shayna L., Dave W., and Kaleigh F., with the support of the entire Discovery Logistics team.

Their passion and creativity exemplify what MTM stands for—empowering team members to solve real problems, reduce risk, and build a safer, more innovative workplace for all.

At MTM, Earth Month is an opportunity to inspire change, both within our organization and in our communities. What we look forward to most during this time is the ability to raise environmental awareness among our team members. It’s a chance to reflect on the impact of our everyday processes and explore ways to improve MTM’s environmental performance. But beyond the workplace, it’s also a time to encourage personal sustainability efforts that extend into our North Alabama communities.

One of the most meaningful aspects of Earth Month at MTM is our collaboration with local community partners. We proudly welcome organizations onsite to share their missions, highlight the essential work they do, and educate our team members on how they can get involved. 

Cross Check is an activity where two team members, who run the same process from each shift, come together to discuss their difficulties and figure out ways to improve their process. But in MTM’s Assembly shop, Cross Check is so much more.

MTM’s Manufacturing Excellence Department (MED) had a goal to create a Cross Check program that was not a “copy and paste” of another NAMC program but instead designed to serve MTM’s unique needs best. Our Senior Vice President David Fernandes challenged the team to launch Cross Check in Assembly by September 2024. As someone who thrives on challenges, I accepted.

We benchmarked strategies with other facilities that have well-established Cross Check activities and brought those learnings back to MTM.

The most important goals to achieve with our Assembly Cross Check program was to address team members’ happiness and understanding of their role within MTM. To accomplish this, we focus on teaching standardized work and how each team member’s job affects the team. We want them to feel empowered to use their voice to create better processes for everyone.

Group Leader Melissa Kirkpatrick is leading the Cross Check team with great energy, a deep understanding of Assembly Production, and the ability to motivate those going through Cross Check. Melissa added that Mendomi-touch (treating each other like family) by developing Cross Check t-shirts and certificates for completion of the program for our team members.

Collaboration plays a major role in the success of Assembly Cross Check. Melissa and I worked together and utilized the 4 Es: Educate, Engage, Empower, and Encourage.

Starting with Educate, we take two weeks to educate team members on all aspects of the plant. We achieve this through tours of other shops and on-the-floor training, such as reviewing FMDS boards.

This leads into Engage, ensuring we educate our team in engaging and fun ways. We play games that reinforce learning and understanding the importance of building a foundation, as well as embodying MTM’s Core Values: Motivate, Appreciate, Relate, Collaborate, and Innovate, both in and outside the workplace.

At Mazda Toyota Manufacturing, we’re more than manufacturers; we’re innovators, building a better future for our team members and our community. Since rolling out our first vehicle in 2021, our team has committed to creating a plant designed to adapt and grow. This past year, we have proved just how far that vision can take us. Through collaboration and hard work, our team has increased our production from two cars to four, adding the Mazda CX-50 Hybrid and the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid to our lineup.

From the beginning, the Apollo (Toyota) and Discovery (Mazda) lines were designed for flexibility. This adaptability enabled our team to integrate a new vehicle into each line. To pull this off, our entire team had to work together, from production to logistics, to figure out how to seamlessly add hybrid vehicles while keeping up with our production goals. Our production team stepped up in a big way, mastering the art of switching between combustion and hybrid vehicles. Meanwhile, our logistics team worked behind the scenes, ensuring every part and component was precisely where it needed to be, exactly when it was needed.

This milestone is a testament to the hard work, drive, and innovative spirit of our MTM family. From groundbreaking in 2018 to the first car in 2021 and now introducing two hybrid vehicles, it is incredible to see how far we have come in just a few years. Congratulations to the entire MTM team for this achievement. Your dedication and teamwork continue to set the standard for what’s possible. We’re excited to see how far we can go together, and we will continue driving the future, one vehicle at a time.

WIW helps plan executive festivals, donation drives, and volunteer opportunities for its members alongside our other BPG partners. Most recently, they were involved in both the Witches Ride in support of the Athens-Limestone Hospital Foundation and the Liz Hurley Ribbon Run in support of the Huntsville Hospital Foundation for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

WIW provides a place for all team members to find common ground, express themselves, support each other, and get involved at MTM and in our community.

Through innovation and collaboration, MTM’s Women’s BPG will relate to our team members, motivate them to excel at MTM, and give back to our community through strategic, intentional action while inspiring the next generation of MTM women.

Our vision is to create an inclusive workplace where women thrive, contribute their unique perspectives, and achieve their full potential. We are committed to fostering an environment that values diversity, promotes equity, and ensures equal opportunities for all.