Earlier this month, members of our Leadership MAX Class of 2025 took to the road together to visit Kia Georgia, suppliers Hyundai Mobis and Hyundai Transys Georgia Powertrain, and local leaders in Troup County responsible for supporting Kia Georgia and its suppliers. Special thanks to MAX board leads Marion Phillips, Research Manager, Georgia Power Economic Development, and Chris Kidd, Director of Economic Development, University System of Georgia for conceptualizing this day for us. Special thanks also to local host Meghan Richardson, Director of Economic Development with the City of West Point, Georgia for her leadership in coordinating our time together. And special thanks to Samir Abdullahi, Director, Select Fulton and MAX board member Brett Lacy, formerly with Select Fulton for sponsoring our field trip. It was a fascinating day where class members experienced one of Georgia’s largest economic development projects – responsible for creating over 14,000 jobs in the region – first hand.
The day began with greetings from Leadership MAX Class of 2025 program chair Breezy Straton, Vice President, Elevate Douglas – on behalf of herself and fellow program chair John Helton, President & CEO, CareerRise – as class members gathered at the shuttle to begin the trip. Our sincere appreciation to Dr. Victoria Seals, President, and Yulonda Beauford, Vice President of Economic Development, at Atlanta Technical College for providing parking spaces for those joining the trip. During the journey to West Point, class members witnessed the transformation from urban to rural along the way.
During the time at Kia Georgia, we were grateful to visit with Stuart Countess, President & CEO, Kia Georgia, who inspired with his talk on how Kia empowers its workforce to develop best-in-class vehicles. Class members witnessed advanced manufacturing at its best through the plant’s high-tech stamping, robotic welding, and automated assembly processes that work together to build vehicles such as the Telluride, Sorento, Sportage, and K5, as well as electric SUVs. Following our visit at Kia Georgia, tours at Mobis and Powertrain illustrated how these Hyundai suppliers work in seamless tandem with Kia to ensure parts and components are delivered just-in-time. Kia and its suppliers clearly offer employee-centered job opportunities across the skills spectrum in a clean, modern, and ergonomical environment.
In the afternoon, we heard directly from the leaders who have played pivotal roles in supporting Kia Georgia’s ongoing development.
- Jeff Lukken, Director, Wilkinson Family Servant Scholars Program and Assistant Professor, LaGrange College + Former Mayor of LaGrange
- Connie Hensler, President, LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce
- Nicki Barradas, Assistant Manager/Human Resources, Hyundai Transys Georgia Powertrain
- Jamey Jackson, Founder, TalentKinect
- Jeff Matthews, Vice President of Operations, Fokker Services Group
- Eric McDonald, Regional Economic Development Manager – West Region, Georgia Power
- Jennifer Pike, CTAE Director, Troup County Schools
- Julie Post, President, West Georgia Technical College
Our deepest gratitude to each of these leaders for taking time to impact our class members and, as always, to our our program chairs, board leads, and partners for coming together to create another meaningful and unforgettable learning experience for our class members.
Last but not least, a special shout out to Amazon for serving as our Presenting Sponsor, to Goodwill of North Georgia for serving as our Silver Sponsor, and to Georgia Power and Select Fulton for serving as program sponsors for this year’s inaugural cohort of Leadership MAX.
ABOUT LEADERSHIP MAX
Leadership MAX provides an exciting opportunity for workforce developers to grow within the workforce development community and develop into a community of peer leaders who will solve problems together in the years to come. Designed especially for developing leaders in the workforce development field, this cohort-based leadership development program is as an extension and evolution of our commitment to provide high-quality professional development and network-building opportunities for our members. Click here to learn more.
