The cars and trucks buzzing around the Natchez Convention Center this week may represent the future of the Miss-Lou.

Inside the building, a group of national transportation leaders were discussing transportation issues and the like — things that may not seem all that exciting to non-industry people.

But make no doubt about it; those people inside are the movers and shakers of the goods that drive America.

The Mississippi Department of Transportation sponsored the meeting. And the hand of former Natchez mayor Larry L. “Butch” Brown, currently MDOT’s executive director, almost certainly led it to find Natchez.

We’re lucky they came here and happy to welcome them.

Most conventions, however, bring in visitors who arrive with dollars in hand and leave them behind in the form of tax dollars and goods and services purchased.

They take with them memories and perhaps a few snapshots of their trip.

The transportation gurus in town this week, however, may be taking something much more valuable when they head home — a new knowledge and familiarity with a small town that has big-city potential.

Few areas such as the Miss-Lou offer the amazing array of transportation options. From a great airport to an excellent port facility, the Natchez area offers huge potential for transportation needs of businesses and industries seeking a new home or a new avenue of business.

Good four-lane highway access is available and the transportation potential of the Mississippi River is already well known.

We’ve got the infrastructure, now we just need a few of those people in the convention center to think of a great way to utilize it better so we can all drive home winners.