Quick start [Vol. 8, no. 1 (Winter 2006)]

Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education

An artisan at Georgia Marble Co. finishes sculptures of eagles destined for the U.S. Capitol, circa 1930.

WINTER 2006 VOLUME 8, NUMBER 1
Monumental Achievement
Quick Start training helps turnaround of historic Georgia marble business
It's a stone so strong that one cubic foot can support 1,000 tons. Its composition is so dense that it is virtually invincible against the forces of nature.
That's why marble from Tate, Ga., has been the ideal material for buildings and monuments that represent the enduring values of America: the Lincoln Memorial, the Alamo Cenotaph, the headstones marking the graves of fallen heroes in Arlington National Cemetery.
Georgia marble is so much a part of our national legacy that it's hard to imagine that a few years ago it looked like its source might be shut down for good...
Continued on page 6

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

Quick Notes

About this issue: Georgia's No. 1 ... again!

Quality workforce training has become a key asset in attracting new business to our state.

Ever since Expansion Management magazine began surveying site selection consultants to see which states have the best workforce training programs, Georgia has consistently

placed in the top five, including a No. 1 ranking in 1999. That's important because it is the

site selection consultants who help companies choose where they will make new investment

and create jobs.

In the 2005 poll, Georgia ranked No. 1 again. With this year's ranking, Georgia now

averages out as the No. 1 state in the nation for workforce training over the past seven years.

We are proud of this achievement, and there are a number of factors that have con-

tributed to this success. Georgia's leaders recognize that our state's continuing prosperity

requires that our citizens have the advanced skills needed in the 21st century workplace.

That's why they have supported the development of our system of technical colleges, now a

model for the nation. Also, quality workforce training has become a key asset in attracting

new business to our state. As Expansion Management noted, "Companies expect their new

facilities to be immediately profitable, and a trained labor pool is part of that objective."

That's where Quick Start comes in. Helping new and expanding companies get up

and running and stay competitive is our top goal. And, by working hand-in-hand with

Georgia's technical colleges,

we've created a proven partnership that, as the recent poll verifies, is top-notch.

"In a poll of ... corporate loca-

tion consultants,

Georgia's work

force training

program was

Jackie Rohosky
Assistant Commissioner Economic Development Programs jrohosky@georgiaquickstart.org

ranked No. 1 in the country."

Table of Contents

3 8

Events Around the State

10 Absorbing Change New technology, processes keep

8 Counter Culture Korean chemical company

Kimberly-Clark's LaGrange plant running

makes countertops in Georgia

9 Smooth Terrain

12 Quick Start Project Announcements

10

Quick Start helps Fleetguard

rev up Georgia plant

About the cover: Quarry at Georgia Marble in Tate, Ga.; inset photo courtesy of the Georgia Archives - Vanishing Georgia Collection.

Winter 2006 Volume 8, Number 1 Published by Georgia Quick Start www.georgiaquickstart.org Quick Start is a registered service mark of the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education Michael F. Vollmer, Commissioner. Address comments and questions to: Rodger Brown, Director of Communications rbrown@georgiaquickstart.org GA Quick Start 75 Fifth St. NW, Suite 400, Atlanta, GA 30308

2

QUICK START WINTER 2006

From left: Craig McDaniel, Coosa Valley Technical College president; Bill Kilbride, Mohawk Home president; and Jackie Rohosky, Quick Start assistant commissioner of economic development programs.
Mohawk's Home
Bill Kilbride, president of Mohawk Home, has the same simple answer every time someone asks why a Fortune 500 company like Mohawk Industries chooses to maintain its headquarters in Calhoun, Ga.
"Partnerships," he says. And many of Mohawk's partners were on hand to celebrate at an event marking the signing of a Quick Start training plan and the grand opening of two new distribution centers.
"We are particularly pleased with the partnership with Quick Start that will reinforce our commitment to a highly trained workforce," said Kilbride. "Our partnership with Quick Start and Coosa Valley Technical College is one more way of ensuring a bright future for this company and for its community."
Mohawk added about 130 jobs and hundreds of thousands of square feet with the opening of the distribution centers. One will support Mohawk Home products; the other will serve as the North Georgia distribution center for hard-surface products such as ceramic tile, laminate, vinyl and hardwood.
"Mohawk has our commitment that we will be providing world-class training for a world-class company," said Jackie Rohosky, Quick Start assistant commissioner of economic development programs.

Events
The Great Indoors
After months of searching the Southeast for the ideal location for a distribution center to support stores in six states, Bass Pro Shops chose Macon as the site of its new facility scheduled to open this spring. The hunting, fishing and sporting-goods retailer is working with Quick Start and Central Georgia Technical College to train about 175 employees.
"Through this process, as I've talked to folks who've worked with Quick Start, I've been amazed at how many would tell me about what Quick Start did for them," said Vice President of Distribution Bruce Beasley. "To hear all those good things from people who've actually worked with you, made me step back and say, `Wow.'"
The Macon facility will be Bass Pro's second distribution center with an adjoining new store. The company, headquartered in Springfield, Mo., attracts more than 75 million people a year to its retail locations across America and Canada.
From left: Bruce Beasley, Bass Pro Shops vice president of distribution; Jackie Rohosky, Quick Start assistant commissioner of economic development programs; Dr. Melton Palmer Jr., Central Georgia Technical College president; and Ernie Reed, Bass Pro Shops Macon distribution center manager.

Mohawk employees and dignitaries assemble to cut a ribbon, officially opening two new distribution centers in Gordon County.

A Clear Choice Simonton Windows, one of the nation's leading window
manufacturers, recently chose a new Lyons, Ga., facility in which to manufacture vinyl and aluminum "Stormbreaker Plus" windows and doors, and signed a training agreement with Quick Start and Southeastern Technical College. Attending signing ceremonies were: (seated, from left) Marla Lowe, Quick Start executive director of economic development programs; Jamie Daugherty, Simonton Windows plant manager; Dr. Cathy Meehan, Southeastern Tech president; (standing, from left) Sandra Kate Hendrix, Simonton Windows human resource manager, Lyons facility; David Yarbrough, Southeastern Tech vice president of economic development; Rick Hartley, Lyons city manager; Charles Rustin, Toombs County Commissioners chairman; Ronnie Dixon, mayor of Vidalia; Bill Mitchell, Toombs-Montgomery Chamber of Commerce president and Toombs County Development Authority executive director; and Pete Rawlings, Simonton Windows corporate training director.
3

Events

Far left: E7 Technologies owner Bob Eagle, surrounded by family, employees and local dignitaries, cuts the ribbon on the company's Thomaston facility. Left: Chris Clark, deputy commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, speaks to guests at E7 Technologies' grand opening.
Quick Start Helps Battery Company `Keep Going'

When a company comes into a community and receives more than 1000 applications for 20 available jobs, owners know they've chosen a location that welcomes new industry.
That's what happened when E7 Technologies, a cell phone battery refurbishment company, relocated from Alabama to

Thomaston, Ga., recently. According to E7's owner, Bob Eagle, Quick Start is the main reason he and wife Gail brought their growing business to Georgia and Thomaston, an area that's lost thousands of jobs over the past several years.
"Look at all the Quick Start services -- the posters that were made, the training that was done, all the things that are planned for the future -- no one else offered anything like that," said Bob Eagle.

"I don't know anyone who does. Quick Start is an amazing program."
Chris Clark, deputy commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for E7. "Two things help us bring good companies like this to Georgia, leadership and partnership -- we don't do anything alone," he said. "Quick Start has the best product we have in Georgia, next to our people."

Giving Tanks

Cut Ups Almost five years ago, National
Beef, an industry-leading beef processor, opened its facility in Moultrie with training assistance from Quick Start and Moultrie Technical College. Recently, the company teamed up again with Quick Start and Moultrie Tech to provide training for approximately 100 new jobs at the plant, which produces "case-ready" beef using a unique process that improves the quality and variety of products available to the consumer. "Quick Start and Moultrie Tech are great partners with us," said Mitch Hanson, plant manager for National Beef's Moultrie facility. From left: Marla Lowe, Quick Start executive director; Hanson; and Dr. Tina Anderson, Moultrie Tech president.

TI Automotive, the world's leading supplier of fluid storage and delivery systems, has teamed with Quick Start and North Georgia Technical College to train about 180 employees for the company's new facility in North Georgia.
The plant in the Hartwell/Lavonia area will be the most technologically advanced in the company's portfolio, according to Joe Roznowski, plant manager. To ensure the required skill level, the company will be guaranteeing interviews to more than 200 graduates of the Certified Manufacturing Specialist (CMS) program from North Georgia Tech. Once employees are hired, Quick Start will provide job-specific training in such areas as PLC, robotics and plastics.
Sen. Nancy Schaefer attended the training plan signing ceremonies held at the 145,000-sq.-ft. facility, and remarked on the effectiveness of the training partnership.
"This is what economic development is all about," she said.
From left: Jackie Rohosky, Quick Start assistant commissioner of economic development programs; Sen. Nancy Schaefer; Joe Roznowski, TI Automotive plant manager; Rep. Alan Powell; and Dr. Ruth Nichols, North Georgia Tech president, at TI Automotive's new North Georgia facility (shown above).

4

QUICK START WINTER 2006

Good Call

When Acuity Specialty

Products decided to

expand a Fulton County

call center by 50 jobs,

one of the first calls they

made was to Quick Start

From left: Jackie Rohosky, Quick Start assistant commissioner of economic development programs; Harold Craig, Atlanta Tech VP of economic develop-

to ask for help training these new employees who will be supporting company sales represen-

ment; and Ross Harding, Acuity Specialty Products executive VP of sales.

tatives and external customers.

"This is a quality initiative -- we want to improve the quality of our cus-

tomer service," said Ross Harding, Acuity's executive vice president of sales,

at a recent training plan signing ceremony. "A major goal of this company is

to try and get close to our customers, so this is a very important initiative for

us. We're thrilled to have Quick Start and Atlanta Technical College involved."

Acuity Specialty Products includes Zep Manufacturing, Enforcer Products

and Selig Industries, and produces cleaners, deodorizers and pesticides for

customers around the world.

Window on the World Window
and door manufacturer Milco Building Products recently upgraded production equipment, adding 50 jobs at the company's Swainsboro facility. Pictured at a recent training plan signing for the company are: (front row, from left) Marla Lowe, Quick Start executive director of economic development programs; Craig Rowland, Milco Building Products vice president of sales; Jim Williams, Swainsboro Technical College vice president of economic development; (back row, from left) James Canady, Emmanuel County Commission vice chairman; Ricky Stevens, mayor of Swainsboro; and Charles Schwabe, Joint Development Authorities chairman.

Going Places Lark United Manufacturing, a new Douglas, Ga., business that makes cargo trail-
ers, recently signed a training agreement with Quick Start and East Central Technical College. Attending were, from left: Marla Lowe, Quick Start executive director of economic development programs; Kam Waldron, president and owner of Lark United Manufacturing; and Brandy Wilkes, East Central Tech vice president of economic development.

Celebrating a Decade in Dalton

Employees and guests of automotive-component manufacturer SWM-GA recently planted Yoshino cherry trees outside the Japanese company's Dalton facility to commemorate its tenth anniversary. Inside, news of an upcoming expansion to launch a new door-frame line and a Quick Start training plan signing was the icing on the cake. Currently, SWM-GA has approximately 400 employees, and the $9 million expansion is expected to add about 140 more, according to the company's president, Mr. Akira Owada.

"The automotive industry is a tough business," said Mr. Owada, "but the market is still expected to grow strongly."
This expansion marks the fourth time Quick Start has partnered with the company, which manufactures such products as door modules, seat adjustors, trunk locks and window regulators for a host of automakers.
Jackie Rohosky, Quick Start assistant commissioner of economic development programs, offered her congratulations to the company. "I'm grateful for the opportunity for the fourth time to come back and offer training support to a company like yours that's growing jobs in Georgia," she said.

Above (from left): Mr. Hiroshi Haga, vice president of SWM-GA; Mary Clayburn, Quick Start training coordinator; Paul Helton, Quick Start training coordinator; Jackie Rohosky, Quick Start assistant commissioner of economic development programs; and George Woodward, Dalton-Whitfield Chamber of Commerce president.
5

Cover Story

Georgia beats Alabama!

In 1991, a wayward Park Service employee at the Lincoln

Memorial knocked loose a marble ceiling tile that fell onto the

head of the Great Emancipator himself. At first, officials were con-

cerned that the most famous statue in America had been damaged.

Upon investigation, they found that even

though the half-inch thick tile fell 60 feet

and shattered on Lincoln's head, it left merely

a smudge that was easily wiped away.

Turned out that while the Lincoln statue

was carved from Georgia marble, the stone for the ceiling tile was quarried

Continued from page 1

in Alabama. I

The Georgia Marble Company had been operating

continuously since its founding in 1884, but after

almost 120 years, market conditions and old technol-

ogy had combined to squeeze the profitability of

"dimension stone" (natural stone that can be cut or

shaped to a specific size), and the company's owners

marked that division of Georgia Marble for closing.

Enter Polycor, a Canada-based stone products company. Georgia

Marble's dimension stone division fit perfectly with Polycor's rapidly

growing portfolio of quarries and production facilities. The marble from

North Georgia's Pickens County is considered the best in the world, and

its supply is estimated to last at least 700 years. So, in 2003, Polycor

bought the struggling business and kicked off a $10 million turnaround

plan based on new technology and workforce training.

"The new technology allows us to be more productive and competi-

tive," says Patrick Perus, president of Polycor Georgia Marble. "But with

the new technology, we had to put in place new training."

Enter Quick Start and Appalachian Technical College.

"We came in, analyzed all the jobs and outlined the skill requirements

needed," says Glenn Rasco, vice president of economic development for

Appalachian Tech. "After we looked at the jobs, then we looked at the

training needs."

The company chose the Certified Manufacturing Specialist (CMS)

certification program as the baseline for training the approximately 70

employees at the facility. All the company's employees had their existing

skills assessed and were assigned training according to the results.

"Last fall, everybody was in school two days a week," Rasco says.

With Appalachian Tech providing customized contract training on

Counterclockwise from top left, beginning below sculpture of Lincoln: Touring Polycor Georgia Marble are, from left, Quick Start Training Coordinator Beth Robinette, DTAE Assistant Commissioner of Economic Development Programs Jackie Rohosky, Polycor Georgia Marble President Patrick Perus, Appalachian Tech President Dr. Sanford Chandler, Quick Start Director of Northern Operations Jeff Lynn, and Polycor Georgia Marble Human Resources Manager Pilar Neal; marble blocks being cut; marble blanks to be carved into memorials; a Georgia Marble employee studies plans for a mausoleum; solid columns carved at Tate, Ga., facility; visitors pose at Georgia Marble, circa 1914; workers in quarry, circa 1920; photo of Georgia Marble quarry showing the difference in the size of cuts previously made using older technology (darkened stone at right), and the increased size made possible with new technology (white stone at left).
6

Georgia Marble's existing equipment, Quick Start handled the

training required to bring the new technology online.

"New equipment helped the company significantly increase

productivity," says Beth Robinette, Quick Start's project coordinator.

"New saws made it possible to cut bigger pieces, and new cranes

allowed them to handle the bigger blocks. For example, their exist-

ing saws cut marble blocks the size of rooms. With their new saws,

`With the new

they cut blocks the size of houses." With improved technology, the company

technology,

increased the amount of usable dimension

stone. New computers and digital technol-

we had to put ogy allow operators to cut around flaws

in place new training.'

and maximize productivity. (The company emphasizes that no marble is wasted; what doesn't "grade out" is crushed and sold as

landscaping material.)

-- Patrick Perus, Polycor

Georgia Marble President

"With the new technology, we went

from being able to use 12 percent of the

stone to 18 percent," says Perus. "Remember, every 1 percent

equals $150,000 of product per year."

At a celebratory community picnic held at Georgia Marble

recently, Polycor's CEO, Irne Bouchard, praised the training

that has contributed to the company's turnaround.

"You have done a big job," Bouchard said. "The results are

extraordinary."

Perus added, "Appalachian Tech has done a remarkable job

training in a whole range from basic literacy to hydraulics. And

Quick Start is an amazing program, the best of its kind. We will

continue investing in Georgia thanks to you."

Romancing the stone
Back when an ocean covered Georgia, skeletons of sea animals formed a reef thousands of feet thick, which was eventually buried, heated and compressed into a pure layer of calcium carbonate.
Six hundred million years later, Henry Fitzsimmons, an itinerant Irish stonecutter, was passing through North Georgia and spotted an outcropping of the sparkling stone. He quickly recognized the value of his discovery. In 1838, he opened a mill and began carving headstones.
In 1884, the Georgia Marble Company was formed, and as new railroads opened new markets, the fame of the white, pink and gray marble found in Pickens County grew. For the entire 20th century, Georgia marble was first choice for architects and sculptors.
Today, landmark structures such as the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Capitol, the Museum of Modern Art, Chicago's Buckingham Fountain and the New York Stock Exchange all include Georgia marble in their construction.
"When Polycor came here, they saved a mill and gave a livelihood back to the people here," says Scott Evans, head of the Pickens County Chamber of Commerce. "Their investment helped save our culture and heritage." I

Historic photography courtesy of the Georgia Archives -

7

Vanishing Georgia Collection.

Manufacturing Sector

Counter Culture

Korean chemical company makes countertops in Georgia

On a day of things first, largest and best, LG Chem, the largest chemical company in Korea, commemorated the grand opening of its first U.S. manufacturing facility in the best location they could find -- Gordon County, Ga.
Gov. Sonny Perdue, DTAE Commissioner Mike Vollmer, Korean Consul General Kwang Jae Lee and others attended the event at the North Georgia plant of subsidiary LG Chem Industrial Materials Inc. (LG CIM), which will produce countertops.
"One of the most important factors when we decided to come here was the pro-business environment fostered by Governor Sonny Perdue," said LG CIM President Mr. Hee Yil Ro. "We believe we have found the best location in the country for manufacturing the best acrylic solid surface in the world."

Quick Start was another

attraction LG Chem found in

Georgia. The company has created

70-plus jobs in Gordon County so

far, and from the beginning, Quick Start has provided courses rang-

Gov. Sonny Perdue (left) presents a proclamation welcoming LG CIM to Georgia to Mr. Ki Ho No, president

ing from general plant safety to

and CEO of LG Chem, parent company of LG CIM.

introduction to chemistry and

"Working with U.S. Americans

make LG Chem successful," said

for Koreans."

Perdue. "We want to help your

Perdue, who led negotiations with operations in Georgia succeed and

LG Chem during a 2003 Georgia

grow because when you succeed,

trade mission to Korea, acknowl-

Georgia succeeds with you."

edged the effective collaboration

DTAE Commissioner Mike

among the Georgia Department of

Vollmer, receiving a plaque from

Economic Development, Quick Start Mr. Ki Ho No, president and CEO of

and local leadership in Gordon

LG Chem Ltd., said, "I want to pub-

County in bringing the $40 million licly thank you for locating in Georgia

investment to the state.

and for your trust in Quick Start,

"We hope this will just be the

because, last weekend, as we were

first step, as you learn how easy it is driving around Georgia, my wife said,

to do business in Georgia, and how `Mike, we need new countertops.'"

we will work along with you to

Mr. Hee Yil Ro, president of LG CIM, greets DTAE Commissioner Mike Vollmer and Quick Start Assistant Commissioner of Economic Development Programs Jackie Rohosky at the grand opening of LG CIM's Gordon County facility.

8

Smooth Terrain

Quick Start helps Fleetguard rev up Georgia plant

Sometimes everything just falls into place. Back in 2003, executives at Fleetguard were looking

for a location where the company would be

closer to its customers for mufflers and all-terrain

vehicle frames.

"Sixty percent of our customers are in the Southeast," says

Trevor Charlton, vice president of global exhaust operations for

Fleetguard, "and we had looked at about 20 sites in the region."

Fleetguard was just about to choose a site in a neighboring state when the

team heard that Kwikset, a lock manufacturer, was planning to move out of

a plant in Waynesboro, Ga.

"We were already speccing out a new building when we got a phone

call," Charlton says, relating the sequence of serendipitous events that would

bring the company to Waynesboro. "Three or four days later, we looked at

this site and made up our minds."

The Waynesboro location was perfect. The building included features that

were ideal for Fleetguard's manufacturing processes, and Quick Start was

already on the scene, ready to provide a smooth transition as Kwikset moved

out and Fleetguard moved in.

"No doubt about it," Charlton says.

"The existence of a trained staff and

Quick Start's ability to continue with us

was a major factor in our coming to the

Waynesboro area."

Since then, Quick Start has worked

with Fleetguard developing job aids and

work instructions, and training in core

skills such as blueprint reading, hands-on

welding and safety for its 258 employees.

Quick Start helped Fleetguard get certified

in ISO/TS 16949, a program of quality

standards specific to the automotive indus-

try, and the current focus is on supporting

the company as it moves its "Line of the

A Fleetguard employee operates equipment shaping parts for ATV frames.

Future" -- the largest piece of automated equipment in the plant -- from Wisconsin to Georgia.

"Quick Start has sent people to Wisconsin to develop high-priority work

instructions so employees can be certified on job tasks prior to the line being

delivered to Waynesboro," says Eddie Fite, Quick Start's project lead.

"It's a great manufacturing strategy and a

great training strategy," says Charlton. "Quick

Start's approach is excellent, and they've been an

excellent resource for the past three years."

Discussing construction of a Fleetguard product are, from left: Wayne Stump, Quick Start consultant; Trevor Charlton, vice president of global exhaust operations; Ryan Phillips, operations manager; and
Eddie Fite, head of Quick Start's Augusta office. Far right: a welder assembles a muffler at Fleetguard's Waynesboro facility.
9

Manufacturing Sector
Absorbing Change
New technology, processes keep Kimberly-Clark's LaGrange plant running

Kimberly-Clark's relationship with the LaGrange community (whose town square is pictured above) extends beyond its physical plant. Recently, the company matched $80,000 contributed by employees to the United Way and donated $25,000 for the construction of two local playgrounds. Below, Kimberly-Clark staff and management, from left: Ken Bush, LAG3 business support; Angela Matheny, training coordinator; Mark Volner, LaGrange facility manager; and Keith Brown, LAG3 team leader.

Competition doesn't always come from the outside. As part of an international conglomerate, pressure to improve performance often comes from within -- if you can't deliver, there are other plants within the corporate family that are more than happy to take your share of the business.
"Kimberly-Clark looks at us as a supplier," says Mark Volner, manager of Kimberly-Clark's LaGrange, Ga., facility, which produces nonwoven material for use in many of the company's well-known products, such as Huggies and disposable health care products. "To keep our business, we have to develop skills within our workforce and improve processes and technology." Since the 1990s, Quick Start has been helping the LaGrange facility keep its competitive edge -- and keep hundreds of jobs in Georgia. Quick Start has helped the company upgrade processes, expand product lines and implement new technology to make next-generation fabrics. The latest project involved an enterprise data management system called Polaris, a $100 million investment Kimberly-Clark made across all their businesses. "[Polaris] looks at resources, people and all the tools we have to be successful running our business," says Volner. "With real-time information, we make better business decisions as a company and as an organization. In the business world of the future, if you don't have that, you're going to be at a disadvantage." "We're raising the bar with our workforce here," says Angela Matheny, Kimberly-Clark's training coordinator in LaGrange. "They have to learn every aspect of the business -- who their customers are, how to deal with safety -- and have to be able to run multiple jobs. It takes the mindset that, `I am here and willing to learn.' Because we constantly have to re-learn to stay in business."

10

QUICK START WINTER 2006

Kimberly-Clark's LaGrange plant is a state-of-the-art facility where nonwoven material is manufactured for use in numerous consumer products. Here, a Kimberly-Clark employee demonstrates computerized control systems to Jackie Rohosky, assistant commissioner of economic development programs for DTAE.

`Quick Start is a

Implementing Polaris required extensive com-

lot more effective

puter training and instruction to help employees understand the interrelatedness of all the plant's

at doing training than we are ...

processes. With the new program representing such a significant shift in the work paradigm, it's hardly surprising that, along with hundreds of

and that's a big compliment,

hours of computer training, Quick Start also conducted classes in "Managing Change."
The employees on the line aren't the only

because our expectations are

ones changing perspective. Quick Start's success in LaGrange is proof of a strategic shift in thinking among executives at the facility. At some

very high.'

companies, Volner says, leadership can be too "inwardly focused," convinced that they are

Mark Volner, Kimberly-Clark experts at everything. Not Kimberly-Clark.

Manager, LaGrange

"We're looking at our core business, what

we're really good at," he says. "Quick Start is a

lot more effective at doing training than we are, and our people have seen

that. And that's a big compliment, because our expectations are very high.

The feedback from everybody here is that Quick Start is just tremendous."

Saving jobs
Training existing employees keeps companies competitive
A few years ago, Kimberly-Clark's LaGrange Mill had to bid for company business. At stake was $25 million. The only way to get the project was by agreeing not to add positions.
"Adding more people was not an option," says Angela Matheny, Kimberly-Clark's training coordinator. "As the LaGrange Mill, we made the commitment within Kimberly-Clark that we would set up a new process without adding headcount."
"You talk about how existing industries survive," says Mark Volner, manager of Kimberly-Clark's LaGrange, Ga., facility, "that's how we got that business. If we hadn't done that, we would've lost another 30 or 40 people."
Matheny says that being able to train the existing workforce is critical to maintaining employment levels.
"As we improve the technology on our processes, we're going to have to improve performance on every person that is out there managing that process," Matheny says.
"That pressure's going to continue to get greater and greater for all businesses," she adds. "And if I can call on Quick Start to help, I will every time." I

11

DELIVERY SYSTEM
34 Technical Colleges With Multiple Campuses 4 University System Colleges With Technical Divisions

Michael F. Vollmer, Commissioner Georgia Department of Technical
and Adult Education www.georgiaquickstart.org

Quick Start Project Announcements
... Serving communities throughout Georgia

Atlanta: Acuity Specialty

Lincolnton: Top Grill Imports LLC, a company that manufactures

Products, manufacturer of

steel grills and distributes imported outdoor furniture, grills and

industrial chemical and cleaning products, is adding 50 customer

Calhoun

accessories, is expanding and hiring 20 employees.

service representatives at its Fulton County call center.

Cartersville Suwanee

Madison: Automotive-parts producer Flambeau Inc. is expanding, hiring 30 employees.

Augusta: Castleberry's Food Company, maker of canned and pouched food products, is expanding, adding 98 employees.

Duluth

Tucker

Lincolnton

Atlanta

Madison Evans

Thomson

Rincon: Refrigerated warehouse and storage company Flint River Services Inc. is creating 100 jobs.
Sandersville: Thomson Plastics Inc., maker of injection-molded parts, is hiring 60 at its

Augusta: Producer of baked snacks and cookies Kellogg's Snacks is

Sandersville Wrens

new Sandersville facility.

adding 82 jobs in an expansion.

Social Circle: Solo Cup, producer of

paper cups and plates, is creating 75

Augusta: New York-based nutritional supplement company NBTY is creating 400 jobs at its new manufacturing facility.

Swainsboro

Rincon

jobs at its new Walton County warehouse facility.

Suwanee: Flowers Bakery of

Calhoun: Faus Group Inc., manufacturer

Suwanee is adding a new

of laminate wood flooring, is creating 200 jobs.

Jesup

bakery line, creating 30 jobs.

Swainsboro: Window and door

Cartersville: TI Automotive, supplier of

manufacturer Milco Building

fluid storage and delivery systems, is

Products Inc. is expanding, adding

facilitating an equipment upgrade with

50 jobs.

robotics training and adding 15 jobs.

Thomson: Pelzer Acoustic Products

Columbus: Aflac insurance company is

LLC, producer of automotive insulation

expanding and will create 2000 new jobs in

blankets through a recycling process, is

three new buildings in Corporate Ridge.

creating 34 jobs.

Columbus: American Consumer Products Corporation, maker of soaps and shampoos, is creating 150 jobs.

Thomson: Shaw Industries Group Inc., producer of carpet fibers, is expanding, adding 65 jobs.

Duluth: Mycoal USA is creating 65 jobs at a facility for manufacturing hand and body warmers.

Thomson: Thomson Plastics Inc., maker of injection-molded parts, is expanding, hiring 20 employees.

Evans: Quebecor World Inc., producer of printed and bound magazines and advertisement flyers, is expanding and adding 45 jobs.

Tucker: Lehigh Technologies LLC is creating 70 jobs at its flagship facility for processing tire rubber for recycling.

Jesup: Treated-lumber producer Great Southern Wood Preserving Inc. is expanding by 20 positions.

Wrens: Mestek Inc., a company that manufactures and assembles air handling products, is adding 15 jobs in an expansion.

Georgia Quick Start Centergy One 75 Fifth Street NW Suite 400 Atlanta, GA 30308 12