Quick start [Vol. 3, no. 1 (Winter 2001)]

Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education

Winter 2001 Volume 3, Number 1

TRAINING IS OUR BUSINESS

Cessna Inspired by Quick Start
Columbus plant produces flight control components for Cessna planes

INSIDE
Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor 4
Relying on rural Georgia
Best Buy 9
Dublin facility supplies retail stores
Quick Start's
Banner Year 14
Training at its best

O n a snowy January morning, executives from the Cessna Corporation flew from Kansas to Atlanta. Piloting the beautiful Cessna jet was the company's president and COO, Charlie Johnson, who wanted to see first-hand Quick Start's operation in the Atlanta office. The entourage also flew to Eastman for a tour of the new Georgia Aviation Technical College. Cessna and Quick Start have had a relationship since the 1980s when Quick Start began working with the aircraft industry in Columbus. Bob Jones, president of Columbus Technical College, so impressed the Cessna directors with

Quick Start's offerings on a recent visit to Kansas that the group decided it was time to make a personal visit and learn more about the successful training program and how it is administered.
After a briefing by Jackie Rohosky, assistant commissioner, economic development programs, who also leads Quick Start, the group took a tour of Quick Start's offices and was introduced to several of the staff responsible for implementing training. DTAE Commissioner Ken Breeden was also on hand for discussion, along with Jones and several Quick Start project directors. Accompanying Johnson from Cessna
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

QUICK START IS GEORGIA'S PREMIER SOURCE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TRAINING

J A C K I E R O H O S K Y Quick Notes

Our graduates are some of the best economic developers in the state, grounded in real-world tasks and challenges.

Pictured here is our most recent graduating
Certified Economic Developer Trainer class. This rigorous economic training lasts approximately 18 months and includes hands-on study of actual businesses in our state, as well as stateof-the-art business practices. Our graduates are some of the best economic developers in the state, grounded in real-world tasks and challenges.
The program is administered through Quick Start offices under the auspices of Director Sandra Morris, herself a certified economic development trainer.
The purpose of this program is to keep our people abreast of changing business models and needs in this demanding economic culture. Dr. Ken Breeden, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education,

and I commend these graduates. I would also like to point out that these
CEDT graduates represent a broad geographical base of Georgia's economy, which supports our mandate from Gov. Barnes to continue to serve all of Georgia. Quick Start has a long history of support in both metropolitan and rural areas; we plan to continue our efforts to serve all of "One Georgia."
JACKIE ROHOSKY Assistant Commissioner Economic Development Programs

Front row: Dale Nicholson, Kimberly Brown, Holly Christensen, Liette Utt. Second row: Neil Aspenwall, Margaret Cain, Ingrid Rider-Owens, Brandy Wilkes, David Hartgrove. Third row: Richard Smith, Ted Duzenski, Clarence Williamson, Jeff Lynn, Jep Craig, Mike Jones. Fourth row: Jim Mathis, Doug Bolen, David Yarbrough, Randall Peters, Eric Lawrence and Alex Ferdinand. Not pictured: Joey Watkins.
Winter 2001 Volume 3, Number 1 Published quarterly by Georgia Quick Start Quick Start is a registered service mark of the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education Kenneth H. Breeden, Commissioner www.georgiaquickstart.org Address comments and questions to: Director, Communications Georgia Quick Start 1800 Century Place, Atlanta, GA 30345 404/679-2915
2

Events
Quick Start Serves Companies Across State

Rockmart ....................................
The Jefferson Southern Corporation celebrated its ground-breaking last fall in Rockmart, Ga. The plant will employ approximately 100 people, manufacturing Honda automobile body parts for the new Honda plant in Alabama. Pictured are (l to r) Toshinao Urabe, Counsel General of Japan; Toshitsugu Kikuchi, President, Kikuchi Co., Ltd.; Koichi Miyazaki, President, Jefferson Southern Corporation; Naohiro Takao, Managing Director, Takao Kinsoku Kogyo Co., Ltd.; Kozo Kaga, President, Jefferson Industries Corporation; and Senator Nathan Dean.
Glenville ......................................
Duramatic Products, a division of Rotary Corporation, signed a Training Plan Agreement with Quick Start and Southeastern Technical College on Dec. 20, 2000. After completing a 25,000 square-foot expansion last fall, the manufacturer of rotary mower blades was able to increase its employment by 30 people. Pictured seated at the signing are (l to r) Ed Nelson, president of Rotary Corp.; Marla Lowe, director of southern operations, Quick Start; Dr. Cathy Meehan, president of Southeastern Technical College; and Dennis Lamb, vice president of Rotary Corp. and general manager of Duramatic Products. Standing are (l to r) David Yarbrough, vice president of economic development at Southeastern Technical College; Dennis Epps, director of institutional effectiveness, STC; and John Brewton, training coordinator, Quick Start.

Toccoa .......................................
Chris Winkel (left), Caterpillar's facility manager in Toccoa, welcomes Dan Murphy, vice president of performance engine products division, from headquarters in Peoria, Ill. The Toccoa plant is the fifth plant Caterpillar has opened in Georgia, and it will employ approximately 60 people in full operation. On Feb. 2, 2001, Caterpillar welcomed approximately 100 people for a Grand Opening. The Toccoa plant will be making metal-to-metal face seals for use in "Cat" machines manufactured around the world.
Caterpillar, the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment and natural gas and diesel engines, opened its fifth facility in Georgia on Feb. 2, 2001. The company, which employs 66,000 people worldwide, has found Georgia and specifically Quick Start to be especially good partners in the company's growth.
"We're excited to be doing business in this community," said Facility Manager Chris Winkel at the Grand Opening in Toccoa. "Since we first announced plans to locate here (September 1999), this community has joined together to make us feel welcome." He emphasized favorable business conditions and the skilled workforce available in Stephens County as reasons for Caterpillar's decision to come to Toccoa.
Quick Start, working with nearby North Georgia Technical College in Clarkesville, was responsible for the first class of trainees, who began work on Feb. 5th, 2001.
In October 2000, Caterpillar also hosted a 75th Anniversary Celebration at its Griffin facility, which employs approximately 500 people in manufacturing power modules and electrical switch gears, among other things. In addition to Toccoa and Griffin, Caterpillar has facilities in Jefferson, LaGrange, and Thomasville.
3

Lieutenant Governor
Rural Georgia is blessed with a workforce that has an excellent work ethic, a dedicated sense of loyalty, and a healthy enthusiasm for growth.
--LT. GOV. MARK TAYLOR
4

Taylor Sees State's
...
Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor's passions for public
education and economic development have converged at an exceptional crossroads in Georgia history. As Georgia's economy has boomed in the past decade, Taylor has been at the forefront of legislative decisions concerning our schools and rural economic development, bringing together two of the most vital elements of sustainable growth for any socio-economic model. Although born in Atlanta and educated at Emory University and the University of Georgia Law School, Taylor was raised in South Georgia, and his vision of Georgia's future is tied to his rural roots.
"It is absolutely essential to the health of the state that rural Georgia not be left out of the equation of progress and growth," Taylor said recently. "We have counties that have not enjoyed the economic growth Atlanta has over the last 25 years, and while that is changing, it is up to leadership-- both local and at the state level--to stay focused on the whole state."
Taylor's message, not surprisingly, is that balanced growth must be vigorously encouraged by the state's leaders and economic developers at every level. He sees the network of technical colleges and the Quick Start program, which cater directly to the communities they serve, as a highly effective system for the dissemination of real-world knowledge and skills. He is proud of the quality and easy accessibility of the technical colleges to all Georgians.
Taylor believes our public schools and technical colleges represent the "bricks-and-mortar" foundation of rural economic growth, a "superb infrastructure of excellent staff and high quality programs within 35 miles of every citizen."
"Our technical colleges are absolutely critical to our overall economic health, just as training and re-training the workforce are critical to industry. And rural Georgia is blessed with a workforce that has an excellent work ethic, a dedicated sense of loyalty, and a healthy enthusiasm for growth," says Taylor.

's Economic Development a Top Priority ...And Rural Georgia One of Its Best Assets

While Taylor concedes that "we are not where we need to be" in terms of skilled labor in the non-metro areas, he feels strongly that the potential is there. Skills need to improve on what he calls an "expedited time-table," and he supports efforts to improve K-12 education, as well as keep our technical colleges energized and well-funded.
Taylor serves as chairman of the Georgia Rural Development Council, an organization of 35 rural leaders from around the state that was created by Gov. Joe Frank Harris in the 1980s and brought back into action by Gov. Roy Barnes.
Taylor sees the GRDC as a cheerleader for rural Georgia whose goal is to help remove barriers to economic growth. One of its initiatives is the One Georgia Authority, headquartered in Dublin. As vice chairman, Lt. Gov. Taylor oversees management of a $1 billion state investment in Georgia's 71 poorest counties. The Authority's funds come from Georgia's portion of the National Tobacco Settlement and are aimed at supporting the counties most in need of a financial boost to move their economic development efforts forward.
Does this emphasis on economic growth across the state herald an end to our traditional agricultural culture?
"Absolutely not," says Taylor

emphatically. "You do not abandon your strengths in an effort to improve. No one does. Corporations don't and we shouldn't. Agriculture represents 16 percent of our gross state production. We need to build on this strength, learn how to modernize, and help our farmers not be dependent on bulk commodities. I encourage agricultural research in Georgia and want more support for Cooperative Extension throughout the state. It makes business sense," says Taylor.
The overall focus of programs like Quick Start and the technical colleges that help deliver its services to employers is to spread opportunity throughout Georgia.
"Announcing new jobs at our industries and the establishment of new companies in Georgia is the bottom line. It's much too early to have a sense of satisfaction--we have our work cut out for us. We want to be able to look out across Georgia and see prosperity for everyone, not just the lucky few," says Taylor.
Taylor lists four goals for this year's legislature, support for which he believes will drive economic growth in a broader swath across the state: leadership development; health care; access to technology--both the skills and the actual infrastructure--and workforce development. QS

What would Lt. Gov. Taylor say to a prospective company considering a rural Georgia location?
"Our rural areas have an innate enthusiasm for growth." "We have an available workforce that is willing and able to be trained." "We have the network of education and workforce training (Quick Start) in place." "We are hard at work improving our highways in rural areas." "Georgia's rural areas have fabulous natural resources available." "There is a sincere reaching out to industry in these communities." "Our rural workforce has a tremendous work ethic."

Lt. Gov. Taylor on Quick Start:
Prior to 1989, Quick Start was the only state incentive we had to offer companies interested in Georgia. I believe the success of Georgia's economy over the last two decades is tied to Quick Start.
Quick Start is clearly one of the most successful state incentive programs in the nation. It has proved itself and does not rest on its laurels. Employers in Georgia can feel its positive effect every day.
Without our ability to train and re-train where necessary, we would be in a very vulnerable position economically.

5

Cessna
CONTINUED FROM COVER
were Executive Vice President John Moore; Director of Human Resource Development Fred Bright; Project Manager Terry Shortt; Vice President, Airplane Completion, Craig Estep; and Steve Jack, who is director of employment and training for the Kansas Department of Human Resources.
Quick Start has had three training programs with Cessna's Georgia plant in the past few years. These have included prehire classes as well as posthire training in manufacturing, safety, team skills, shop math, blueprint reading, sheet metal assembly, and precision measurement. Approximately 100 new employees have been trained during each expansion.
"Quick Start is a model training organization for the nation and had a major impact on our decision to expand our operations in Georgia," said Johnson during closing remarks on his recent visit. "Quick

Start's leadership role in economic development in this state is clearly evi-

impressed by what he described as "state-of-the-art" training facilities and

dent and something that every state

programs. He described his company's experience as a client at the

"We need skilled people who are able to work diligently and carefully. We are manufacturing flight control sur-

Columbus facility as "outstanding."
Cessna, which employs

faces here--ailerons, flaps, rudders, approximately 12,000 peo-

and elevators on the tails of the planes--which are extremely fragile before they are attached to the body of the plane. This is where good training becomes absolutely essential, and we've found it here at Quick Start."

ple, mostly at its Kansas facilities, is the leading producer of light-and medium-size corporate jets. It also manufactures single

-- Terry Clark General Manager Cessna's Columbus plant

engine and utility-turboprop aircraft. Formed in 1927, Cessna Aircraft Co.

has been a world leader in

"The announcement by Cessna-- the world's leading manufacturer of business aircraft--of a new facility in Columbus, Georgia that will create over 300 new jobs affirms what many of us already knew. Columbus is a

design and manufacturing of midsize aircraft. Included in its line of business jets are the newly introduced Citation CJ1, Cita-

great place to grow a business. We have a demonstrated ability to deliver a skilled workforce in a stable probusiness environment that led to Cessna's decision."
-- Jimmy Yancey COO, Synovus Financial Corporation Chair, Columbus Economic Development
Authority

tion CJ2, Ultra Encore, and Sovereign. These jets join the much respected jets, Bravo, Excel, Citation VII, and Citation X, the world's fastest business jet.
Cessna Aircraft is a

subsidiary of Textron Inc.,

should be looking to for guidance and

an $11.6 billion, global, multi-industry

inspiration."

company.

Johnson went on to say that he was

QS

Pictured at the Quick Start offices (l to r): Dr. Ken Breeden, DTAE commissioner; Craig Estep, VP, airplane completion, Cessna; John Moore, executive VP, Cessna; Fred Bright, director of human resource development, Cessna; Charlie Johnson, president and COO of Cessna; Terry Shortt, Cessna project manager; Jackie Rohosky, Quick Start; and Bob Jones, president, Columbus Technical College.
8

Economic Development

Wal-Mart Distribution Centers Benefit Fr

Essential to Wal-Mart's successful
retail model are the tremendous distribution centers that serve the hundreds of stores across the state and surrounding areas. Georgia is home to five such centers--Statesboro, Macon, LaGrange, Monroe, and Douglas. Quick Start has been active in preparing most of the workforce at four of the five locations.
A typical distribution center is more than one million square feet, or the equivalent of 10 Wal-Mart retail stores. (That's about 24 football fields.) More than 250 dock doors serve the fleet of Wal-Mart trucks that wait in the vast parking lots surrounding the buildings. At the LaGrange center, which serves stores in Georgia and Alabama, 500 tractor-trailers of merchandise are loaded and shipped in a day.
Ronnie Moffitt, the general manager of the LaGrange Wal-Mart Distribution Center, explains that a majority of the merchandise one sees in a Wal-Mart store goes through a distribution center first. This volume necessitates the 24-hours-a-day, sevendays-a-week schedule. The LaGrange facility has approximately 800 employees who come from LaGrange and a surrounding 40 mile radius.
Quick Start has been instrumental in helping train the workers at these new facilities, and Georgia's Department of Technical and Adult Education has been inspired to create a certificate in warehousing and distribution for Georgia's technical colleges.
"I can recommend Quick Start as a training program to other companies. They definitely exceeded our expectations in the training plan," said Moffitt.
The Monroe Wal-Mart Distribution Center, which celebrated its grand opening in July 2000, is unique because of its refrigerated space. A

Wal-Mart's Distribution Centers

Monroe
Atlanta
LaGrange
Macon

Statesboro

Douglas

127,000 square-foot freezer at the facility can hold about 10,000 pallets-- room enough for 58 million popsicles! Though not as large as the other Georgia distribution centers, the facility cannot be described as "small." It covers approximately 420,000 square feet, or about nine acres. Quick Start trained 353 people for this facility.

At the 1.5 million square-foot Statesboro facility, Quick Start trained 644 people in 1999-2000. Thanks to the pre-employment training program designed and delivered by Quick Start, turnover rate has been substantially reduced. QS

6

Certification
From Quick Start
DTAE Certified Warehousing and Distribution Specialist Certificate
The course is approximately 160 hours and qualifies for the HOPE Grant. Included in the program are an introduction to warehouse environments; understanding key warehousing and job functions; methods of inventory management; use of scanners and data entry; work-place personal and interpersonal skills; and handling systems unique to warehouse distribution, such as conveyors, pallets, and mechanical drives, and powered industrial trucks. Warehousing simulations are an important part of the training. Below: pilot phase model.
Adult Literacy Entrance Exam
Developmental Studies

Technical Certificate of Credit

Working in the Warehouse Environment Introduction to the Certified Warehousing and
Distribution Specialist Program Learning-for-Success Listening Skills Introduction to Business Principles Introduction to Warehousing and Distribution Centers
Warehousing and Distribution Processes Warehousing and Distribution: Mission and Operations Getting the Work Done: Key Warehousing Job Functions Tools for Excellence Using Warehousing Productivity Measures Methods of Inventory Management
Warehousing Technology Introduction to Computers and Automation Warehousing Data Applications Scanners and Data Entry

Workplace Practices and Skills

Positive Work Ethic Problem Solving

Working Together

Positive Image

Managing Change

Job-Interview Skills

Personal Wellness

Core Warehousing Skills Fundamentals of Electricity Introduction to Industrial Controls Handling Systems: Conveyers, Mechanical Drives, and
Automated Systems General Plant Safety Powered Industrial Trucks Protecting Materials and Merchandise Palletizing Containment Processing Hazardous Materials Waste Recovery in the Warehouse and Distribution Center

Simulations and Assessment Warehousing Simulations Comprehensive Assessment

Certification
Satisfactory Completion of All Course Requirements Theory and Performance Assessments

Employment Industry Training

Continuing Education
Diploma Associate Degree (AAT) Work-Based Learning Bachelor of Applied Science

Among clients served across Georgia with this type of training are Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Pep Boys, Lowe's Inc., and Best Buy. 7

Best Buy

Dublin-Laurens County Welcomes Best Buy Facility

Roman Roman Jr., a Florida native
and regional general manager of the Best Buy Distribution Center in Dublin, is favorably impressed with the workforce his company discovered when they came to town last year.
"I've not seen people value their jobs anywhere else as much as I have here. Our workers have good values, they are respectful, they want to work, and they know how to pull together to get the job done," he explained on a recent tour of the Best Buy facility. The Dublin plant boasts a six percent turnover rate, which is unusually low for the industry.
"I can relate this low turnover directly to the technical college's (Heart of Georgia Technical College) efforts and Quick Start's detailed and thorough training program," he added.
Roman is especially impressed with Quick Start's pre-hire screening of potential employees. This meant Best Buy had a pool of qualified workers from which to choose, workers that managed to survive the pressures of this past summer's record-breaking heat and the headache of massive ongoing construction all around. He has seen this core group become the mentors for the people hired later.
"With screening you create a group `culture' that really pays off in production and dedication," says Roman.
Thus far, Best Buy's decision to come to Dublin can be described as an unqualified success. The company chose Dublin over 200 other communities in six states. The decision was made in December 1999. In April 2000, a Training Plan Agreement was signed between the company, Heart of Georgia Technical College, and Quick Start, and the 748,000 square-foot facility was completed by August 2000. Since opening, they have had a 100 percent on-time delivery rate.
"My personal victory is that we opened a new center of this size with absolutely no glitches--none. That is phenomenal, and it represents the work

of a lot of different people and many

accuracy is truly phenomenal.

organizations in this county," says

Roman expects the Dublin facility to

Roman.

expand its operations in the current

The center is located on a 100-acre building this spring to include Internet

site not far from the essential I-16. Cur- purchasing for the company's e-com-

rently the facility has about 155 employ- merce business. QS

ees working two shifts. It plans to be in

full operation by this spring, eventually

serving six states throughout the South-

east. The Dublin facility is one of seven

of Best Buy's distribution centers nation-

wide, which support 450 stores across

the country.

From June to October 2000,

more than 200 people went through

Quick Start's pre-employment and

post-employment classes. Classes

include safety, inventory math,

ergonomics, scanner operations, receiv-

ing and stocking skills, and order pro-

cessing. Introduction to computer use,

including Microsoft Access, Excel, and

Word programs, and leadership team

building are also part of the training

classes.

Best Buy's inventory control and

delivery are state-of-the-art. The high-

tech forklifts include a scanner and

access to computerized inventory, so

workers have access all day long to

what's in stock. At

any given

moment at any

station, the com-

pany has a "snap-

shot" of available

stock. Ten people

audit constantly

to make sure

there are no

errors in invento-

ry control. This

kind of attention

to detail is

absolutely essen-

tial to the just-in-

time process that

makes Best Buy

successful. In a

Pictured at Best Buy Distribution Center (l to r): Roman Roman Jr.,

building with 5 miles of conveyor belts, this level of

general manager; Jackie Rohosky, assistant commissioner, economic development programs, DTAE; Jep Craig, vice president, economic development programs, Heart of Georgia Technical College.

9

Partners' Perspective

Deep in the Heart of Dublin

Dublin has always been a stopover
for travelers going between Atlanta and Savannah. But now visitors can get much more than just a hamburger. Dublin is a growing, vibrant city with an excellent location in the middle of the state and near to the major arteries of transportation.
A new welcome center is being built at the intersection of 441 and I-16 at exit 51, which the chamber will manage and oversee. "This is in an effort to document tourism and encourage people to get to know our area better. We have so much to offer!" says Willie Paulk, president of the Dublin-Laurens County Chamber of Commerce and executive director of the development authority.
"With the shrinking of the job market in textiles, we realized we needed to diversify our manufacturing economy. We are now home to several large corporations' plant facilities. Among them are New Holland, YKK, Rockwell, Bassett, Flexsteel, Victor-Forstman, Mohawk Carpet, and SP Newsprint. And virtually all of these industries have been served in some way by Quick Start."
"In my mind, Quick Start is one of our state's best incentives. As far as I know, there are no other states that have this kind of comprehensive training system that can follow through with clients as they get established or expand," says Paulk.
Other economic partners Paulk includes who have been vital to the Dublin-Laurens County economy are Heart of Georgia Technical College; Oglethorpe and Georgia Power companies; Department of Industry, Trade & Tourism; Department of Community Affairs; Department of Labor; and, of course, elected officials. Paulk points to leaders like Terry Coleman, DuBose Porter, and Hugh Gillis, to name a few.
"I think one of the most important `pulls' comes from the established industries themselves. These people can really sell Dublin because they are here and can witness to our support and the facilities we have to offer. Prospective clients

like to look to them for their professional business opinion," says Paulk.
The labor pool the community draws from has an approximate radius of 45 miles. Paulk explains that people also come to Dublin for recreational, medical, and educational reasons, as well as for jobs. The unemployment rate sits at just below 3.8 percent.
"The biggest boost we've had in
"We turned to manufacturing and are now
home to several large corporations' plant facilities. Among them are New Holland,
YKK, Rockwell, Bassett, Flexsteel, Victor-Forstman, Mohawk Carpet, and SP
Newsprint. And virtually all of these industries have been served in some way by Quick Start."
WILLIE PAULK PRESIDENT, DUBLIN-LAURENS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

700,000 square feet. Eventually, the building will incorporate 1.3 million square feet.
Looking to the future, the DublinLaurens County Development Authority is enthusiastic about pursuing hightech companies. The city is in the process of installing fiber optics in a five-mile ring around its center, hoping to encourage Internet service providers and other computer-based services to make Dublin home.
A regional airport also serves as a draw for potential clients, as does the 60,000 square-foot DuBose Porter Regional Business and Industry Training Center at HGTC. Dublin and HGTC very proudly hosted the Georgia Chamber of Commerce Congressional Luncheon, which drew 1,200 attendees in this facility last year.
Many of the area's long-range plans will be shaped by the findings of a major study just conducted by the consulting firm Semaradek-Butler. An in-depth community audit, along with the new census figures, should ensure that the Dublin-Laurens County community will continue to grow at a steady, healthy rate. QS

recent history, however, was Best Buy's decision to open its distribution center here. That was the most exciting news we had had in a long time," explains Paulk.
The decision was based largely on availability of physical space (both the site location on a four-lane state highway and its proximity to I-16) and the area's ability to supply the workforce needed to grow. Dublin-Laurens County also could guarantee full support in getting the facility up and running in less than nine months, no small task for a building that boasts more than

Willie Paulk, president, Chamber of Commerce and executive director of the Dublin-Laurens County Development Authority.

10

Rural Economic Development

Employee Training Essential to Dublin's Economy

DuBose Porter, who is in his 19th
year as a state representative, has great enthusiasm for the kind of growth that Best Buy's presence represents for Dublin. A native of Dublin, Porter has seen his hometown and county change dramatically over the last two decades from a community largely based on agricultural and textile industry employment.
"We were forced to diversify and this, in the long run, will not have been a bad thing," he explained recently in a conversation at the state capitol.
"We are interested in healthy, steady growth, not just a flash-in-the-pan. We don't want to ever be too dependent on one particular employer again."
When the textile industry began to falter in the area, more than 6,000 jobs were lost, an economic shock to the system from which the community happily has been able to recuperate over the past decade. Porter attributes this recovery to a dedicated sense of purpose on the part of many civic leaders, the established industries themselves, Heart of Georgia Technical College, and programs like Quick Start that have been able to harness the energy of the area's workforce.
The state also needed to "step up to the plate" and it did, in Porter's opinion. He cites Gov. Barnes' decision to locate the One Georgia Authority in Laurens County.
"Our people are willing and able to work and

learn new skills. If they could run a sewing machine for the textile industry, they can learn how to operate a keyboard or any other piece of equipment necessary to do the job--even high-tech jobs. Retraining has been absolutely essential to this turnaround, and Quick Start is a model program. It's the state's best tool for economic development."
When Best Buy made its decision to come to Dublin, Porter was thrilled: "We think it's the best decision Best Buy ever made!"
"It's the beginning of a long rela-
Laurens County

tionship because Best Buy has confidence that, together, we can handle any of the challenges that arise."
Porter is in his ninth term and serves on the Appropriations and Education Committees. He also is chairman of the Higher Education Committee. In addition to experience in his own law practice, Porter serves as editor of the Dublin Courier-Herald. A champion of the state of Georgia, Porter also has worked in the areas of historic preservation and land conservation. QS
"Quick Start is the state's best tool for economic
development."
STATE REPRESENTATIVE DUBOSE PORTER

Left: State Representative DuBose Porter The DuBose Porter Training Center at the Heart of Georgia Technical College is one of Dublin's greatest assets for companies like Best Buy.
11

SITEL Corporation

SITEL Thrives in Augusta

SITEL Corporation of Baltimore, Md., is the global leader in electronic customer relation management. Using state-ofthe-art technologies, SITEL can service customers for companies, as well as find those customers and help keep them coming back. SITEL currently manages more than 1.5 million customer contacts per day via the telephone, e-mail, Internet, and traditional postal service. More than 25,000 SITEL employees operate in 74 customer contact centers in 18 countries across the globe. And Augusta, Ga., is home to just such a contact center.
In what was once a Wal-Mart retail location, the Augusta center is a thriving hive of workstations with just under 1,000 customer service professionals, serving some of the world's most wellknown high-tech clients.
"We like to consider ourselves the support center for `Best of Breed' technology clients," says Tony Taylor, the facility's general manager. "We need workers who are adaptable, who can learn quickly, and who are good at oldfashioned communication in a high-tech world. The old stereotype of a tech person has changed," he adds.
In an industry that is so fast-changing, skilled labor is a premium asset. "We've found that a critical issue for attracting clients is our own ability to be flexible," explains Mary Campbell, the facility's human resource manager. "We

"We need to be able to be responsive to our clients'
changing needs without changing our internal technical support."
MARY CAMPBELL HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER
need to be able to be responsive to our clients' changing needs without changing out internal technical support. This can be a challenge, and our success is directly related to being able to find the right people who can do different things, from billing to technical support."
Fortunately, Quick Start has been highly effective in helping SITEL make sure the people they hire are the people who can answer the needs of their clients. "Quite frankly, our growth will depend on the ability of our workers to respond to our clients' customers. This is, after all, what outsourcing is all about and why a good training program like Quick Start is so critical," says Taylor.
Both Campbell and Taylor believe the southern personalities of the workers in Augusta are an asset to business.

"Our big clients are impressed with the politeness, pleasant tones of voice, and patience of our employees when dealing with irate customers. They can get angry or frustrated people to calm down and channel the conversation in a more constructive way. This is a huge benefit in a transaction where you never come face-to-face with the customer," says Campbell.
SITEL's presence in Georgia is representative of the growing number of ebusinesses serving customers directly, as well as business-to-business. According to Dr. Breeden, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education, the world's reliance upon Web technology and e-business appears to be driving the creation of technical- and customer-support jobs throughout the state. Quick Start helped SITEL expand its applicant pool with improved pre-employment training, as well as teaching the fundamentals of positive work ethics, customer contact skills (telephone service skills, for example), and keyboard skills.
With nearby Fort Gordon creating an ever-growing labor pool and Augusta Technical College providing interns and the Service Industry Academy, SITEL is equipped for a productive workforce for many years to come. QS

Mary Campbell (left), human resources manager, and Sandra Swain, receptionist at SITEL.
12

Tecumseh
Tecumseh Expects Growth in Near Future

The Tecumseh Products Company,
known for its outstanding engine manufacturing, got its start in the 1930s in Hillsdale, Mich. The firm first manufactured automobile and electric refrigerator parts, small tools, and mechanical novelties. Seventy years later and many expansions and purchases of other similar companies around the globe, Tecumseh is now a highly regarded manufacturer of a myriad of engine-related products, including carburetors, compressors, and two- and four-cycle engines for outdoor power equipment.
In the early 1990s, Tecumseh was looking for a workforce that could help it expand its production in the South so the company could better serve its largevolume customers in Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee. After several visits to Georgia and lengthy negotiations with Jim Steed of the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade & Tourism, the company chose Douglas for a plant to expand its carburetor manufacturing. This quickly evolved into small-engine manufacturing and die casting as well.
"Quick Start is really the reason we've been able to grow here," says Bill Tate, director of operations at the Douglas facility. "Since 1995 we've had 50 percent growth, and this was almost completely dependent on our ability to have a skilled labor force. Quick Start has been so flexible in its training, and they really bent over backwards to accommodate our needs."
The company will be adding a third engine-assembly line and approximately 50 employees this spring. "We are number two in the small-engine world. We are trying to position ourselves as number one, and this Douglas facility is absolutely essential to that goal," says Tate.
The caliber of the workforce and the willingness of people to work and their desire to learn have calmed initial concerns of the northern company's administration. "What we have found is that this labor force is willing to learn and embrace change. There is a strong

cultural foundation of people who are not scared to try something new. They want to work, and Quick Start's efforts have really paid off," says Tate.
Tecumseh has enjoyed a training partnership with Quick Start for more than five years. Current employment is approximately 925 in the 345,000 square-foot building. Quick Start's training has included manufacturing process, die casting, engine and carburetor assembly, machining, and more. Training has been in the classroom and on-thejob and has included supervisor/leadership training, as well as manufacturing skills. QS

Christy Chaney, a Tecumseh employee, works on an engine.

Economic Developers Laud Quick Start

Saralyn Stafford, presi-

Coffee County, has served

dent of the Douglas-Coffee

voluntarily as an economic

County Chamber of Com-

developer since the early

merce and Development

1970s. (In 1995, the year

Authority, believes Tecum-

Tecumseh announced it

seh's decision to open the

would come to Douglas,

Douglas facility was the

Lott was named volunteer

result of the community's

of the year by the Georgia

leadership team, which is able to work closely and

Saralyn Stafford

Economic Developers Association.) His home

cooperatively. A good

county, which traditionally

workforce has been key as

was based in agriculture--

well and, fortunately, area

cotton, tobacco, and

citizens have experience in

poultry, specifically--got a

metalworking due to other

toehold in manufacturing

established industries, such

in the early days of mobile

as PCC Airfoils, Inter-

home manufacturing. Now

Metro Industries (shelving), and Fleetwood Homes.

Francis Lott

this economic landscape has changed dramatically.

"Quick Start was a very important

"In rural Georgia, we are the star

part of our recruitment with Tecum- in economic development," says Lott

seh, and East Central Technical

proudly. "In the general population

College played a key role as well.

only one in 11 people is involved in

Tecumseh has lots of manufacturing

industry. In Coffee County, it's one in

plants throughout the world, and they four. We have had to grow and diver-

have told me repeatedly that Quick

sify, and we continue to do so thanks

Start is the very best training program to programs like Quick Start and the

they've utilized," says Stafford.

technical colleges' dramatic improve-

Francis Lott, chairman and CEO ment across the state."

of Lott Properties and a native of

13

Fiscal Year 2000
Quick Start's Banner Year 2000
Quick Start Cost Per Trainee vs. Number of Trainees 10 Year Trend 1990-2000
Quick Start History of Trainees Fiscal Years 1990-2000
14

Training Is Our Business
Quick Start Distribution of Projects -- Metropolitan & Rural Service Areas
History of Projects 1990-2000 New
Expanding
PROJECTS
FY 2000 (279 Projects for 2000)
15

Dalton

Alpharetta
Cobb County
Recent Bremen Griffin

Duluth Atlanta
Jackson

Elberton Augusta

Happenings LaGrange

Around the Columbus

Swainsboro

State

Albany

Jesup Alma

DELIVERY SYSTEM
33 Technical Colleges 17 Satellite Campuses 4 Technical Divisions in the University System Kenneth H. Breeden, Commissioner Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education
www.georgiaquickstart.org

EXPANDING BUSINESSES IN GEORGIA
SW Manufacturing of Georgia, which builds auto components, has added 97 jobs to its Dalton plant.

NEW BUSINESSES IN GEORGIA
Engineered Quality Plastics, manufacturers of auto components, has opened a plant in Elberton, employing 300 people.

Caterpillar has expanded its workforce to 750 at the Griffin facility, which builds large-engine packages. Twenty new jobs were also added to the LaGrange facility.
Kodak Polychrome of Columbus recently increased its workforce by 175 people. This plant makes lithographic plates for the printing industry.
Randstad, which recently moved its U.S. headquarters to Cobb County, has expanded its employee base by 122 jobs.
Proctor & Gamble. Quick Start continues training in Albany, supporting P & G's successful paper towel facilities.
CIBA recently announced an additional 120 employees to its Duluth contact lens plant.
E-Z-Go has expanded its Augusta workforce by 50 employees.

The Nordson Corporation of Ohio has opened a plant to produce hot-melt applicators and application heads in Swainsboro. Eighty employees have been hired.
Quebecor World Direct announced the opening of its new printing facility in Atlanta, which will employ 100 people.
Tanimura & Antle, lettuce packagers, has opened a packing facility in Jackson, employing 150 people.
The Alma Meat Co. recently opened a poultry-deboning facility in Alma with approximately 50 employees.
Ciena Corporation has announced a new fiber optics facility in Alpharetta. The company will employ 150 people.
EAM Corporation, makers of absorbent material for diapers, will be opening a new plant in Jesup, employing 60 people.

Honda Lock America has increased its workforce by 100 employees at its Bremen facility.

Pratt & Whitney will be expanding its engine overhaul plant in Columbus by 100 employees.

GEORGIA QUICK START 1800 Century Place Suite 300 Atlanta, GA 30345