Front Row: (From left) Chattahoochee Technical College President Ron Newcomb; Toyo Tire North America President Don Bunn; and TCSG Commissioner Gretchen Corbin sign the Quick Start training plan agreement. Also in attendance at the event were (from left): Stefanie Dye, existing industry director for Cartersville-Bartow Economic Development; Steve Taylor, Bartow County Commissioner; Elyse Cochran Davis, Northwest Region Manager for Georgia Power; Cartersville Mayor Matt Santini; Mike Fields, Cartersville-Bartow Chamber Board Member; Joe Frank Harris, Jr., Bartow County Chamber president; and Carl Campbell, Regional Project Manager with Ga. Department of Economic Development.
Representatives from Toyo Tire North America Manufacturing, Inc., and the Technical College System of Georgia held a signing ceremony Monday at Toyo’s White, Ga., manufacturing facility, marking the official launch of Quick Start’s workforce training plan designed to support the fast-growing company’s latest expansion. This marks the fourth time Quick Start will be delivering training for Toyo as they add approximately 450 new employees to their existing workforce of 1,000.
“This has been an incredible partnership,” said Don Bunn, president of Toyo Tire North America, praising the past support from Chattahoochee Technical College and Quick Start. “Quick Start has been with us for every expansion from the very beginning, training over 1,000 of our employees. What’s incredible is that with each new technology, we get new training. With all the modifications and changes over the years, Quick Start has kept up with us. That continuity has been very important to our success.”
Since starting production in 2005, Toyo Tire North America has expanded three times, with this latest initiative marking the fourth time the Osaka, Japan-based company has increased the size of its manufacturing plant as well as its workforce. Bunn noted that since they began production, Toyo has made more than 25 million tires.
When completed, the new equipment being installed will allow Toyo to increase production from four million tires per year to eight million. “That’s a phenomenal feat,” Bunn added.
Technical College System of Georgia Commissioner Gretchen Corbin participated in the signing along with Chattahoochee Technical College President Ron Newcomb.
“Being here is like coming home,” Commissioner Corbin said, “because we’ve been a part of Toyo’s growth from the very beginning. And we deeply appreciate the partnerships and the people who’ve helped make this happen, from the Department of Economic Development, Governor Nathan Deal, the technical colleges, Quick Start and really the entire community.“
Commissioner Corbin noted that Quick Start, a division within the TCSG, will include a broad scope of topics in its training plan, including job-‐specific training on the company’s proprietary ATOM (Advanced Tire Operation Module) systems, to safety training, leadership, and automated control systems.
“We’re very pleased to provide our Quick Start training,” Commissioner Corbin said, “because, at the end of the day, it’s about workforce. That’s why we’re so proud to have Quick Start, the No. 1 workforce training program in the country.”
Chattahoochee Tech’s President Newcomb, the third signatory signing the training plan, reaffirmed his commitment to ongoing support of the company and other manufacturers through the development of new credit programs at the college.
“There are new, emerging technologies appearing every day,” Newcomb said. “So, we can’t train in the old way. We need to innovate, and not just with new skills, but by cultivating the flexibility it takes to respond quickly to change.”
Jackie Rohosky, assistant commissioner for economic development programs at TCSG and head of Quick
Start, concluded the ceremony by highlighting the significant impact of Toyo’s rapid growth.
“The success of Toyo certainly is great for the company, and great for the employees and the entire region,” she said. “But it reaches even farther. It sends a message around the world that Georgia is indeed the best state for doing business. There’s no better evidence than right here in White, Ga.”