David Collins grew up in Jackson, Mississippi. He graduated from Murrah High School in 1968 and then attended the University of Mississippi, where he played on the freshman basketball team. At Ole Miss, he obtained a B.B.A. degree and later, an M.B.A. and a M.S.S. degree from Mississippi College. David was a Marketing Analyst and Sales Representative with Citadel Cement from 1974 – 1979. In 1981, after a short time outside of the cement industry, he began a 37 year career with Dundee Cement, now LafargeHolcim. David was a Market Manager in Mississippi and Louisiana, the Sales Manager of that area, the Region Manager and GM for a six state region and finally, the General Manager of the Southern Sales Group, until retiring in 2016.
David and his wife, Leigh Ann and their two daughters, Allison and Caroline, moved from Madison, Mississippi to Mobile, Alabama in 1994. David continued to be heavily involved with the Mississippi Concrete Association. He was president of the MCA and served multiple terms on the association’s board of directors. Through regular attendance at MCA meetings, conventions, legislative events and fundraisers, he formed long-standing relationships with its members.
David was passionate about many things – God, his family, the cement industry, sports, our nation’s history and our national parks. He and his family loved cheering on the Rebels in Oxford or rooting for the Cardinals in St. Louis, as well as traveling from coast to coast to attend various athletic events. Additionally, David enjoyed traveling to historical sites, especially in the South and hiking various trails in the Great Smokey Mountains or Zion National Park and sharing these experiences with those he loved.