Solutions - Winter 2013

SOLUTIONS A Publication of the Center for Business Solutions at Albany Technical College

WINTER 2013

Equinox Chemicals ATC’s Manufacturer of the Year Nominee

CBS Staff

MATT TRICE Vice President 430.3563

mtrice@albanytech.edu

GARY FRAGÉ Solutions Associate, Business & Industry 430.3593

JOHN KLEMM Solutions Associate, Logistics 430.3924

STEVE EIDSON CEDT, PMP® Solutions Associate, Instruction 430.6619

YVONDRIA KELLOGG Solutions Assistant 430.6598

LEANNE BULLINGTON Solutions Assistant 430.6616

gfrage@albanytech.edu

VALERIE WILLIAMS Solutions Associate, Continuing Education 430.3867 vwilliams@albanytech.edu

On the Cover:

Equinox Chemicals Find out more about ATC’s Manufacturer of the Year Nominee and Possible Center for Business Solutions Client

Solutions is published quarterly by the Center for Business Solutions at Albany Technical College. Albany Technical College is a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia.

Questions and comments relating to this publication or any of its contents may be addressed to Solutions, c/o Albany Technical College, 1704 S. Slappey Blvd., Albany, Georgia 31701, www.albanytech.edu.

jklemm@albanytech.edu

ykellogg@albanytech.edu

Albany Technical College Board of Directors 2012-2013

seidson@albanytech.edu

DON REHBERG Solutions Associate, Testing 430.6612

drehberg@albanytech.edu

lbullington@albanytech.edu

BAKER COUNTY:

Kent Sanders

EARLY COUNTY:

Robert Chester

CALHOUN COUNTY:

Neil Lowe

LEE COUNTY:

Jay Smith

CLAY COUNTY:

Carl Childs, Jr.

RANDOLPH COUNTY: Kuanita Murphy

DOUGHERTY COUNTY:

Joe Austin Ben Barrow Virginia Parker, Chair Col. Mederos James Taylor Betty White

TERRELL COUNTY:

Rhonda Gordon

Speaking

InsideThis Issue 8 A Note from Our President A Note from Our EDP Vice President

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COVER STORY

Equinox Chemicals

ATC’s Manufacturer of the Year Nominee and Possible Center for Business Solutions Client FEATURE STORIES DEPARTMENT HIGHLIGHT: Hotel/Restaurant/Tourism Management STUDENT HIGHLIGHT: Vanessa Wright, Hotel/Restaurant/Tourism Management Student PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT: Project Management

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SCHOLARSHIPS STATE FARM: CELEBRATE MY DRIVE Driver’s Education Scholarship Essay Contest

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CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSES Fork Lift Certification

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Driver’s Education Courses

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Computer Classes

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Continuing Education

The role of continuing education is to develop short courses, workshops, and seminars for professional development and personal enrichment.

Students who satisfactorily complete most career, professional and technical courses receive continuing education units (CEUs) documenting that their instruction has met nationally established standards in planning, designing, teaching and evaluating.

For more information, visit http://www.georgiaquickstart.org.

DOUGHERTY COUNTY CAMPUS RANDOLPH COUNTY LEARNING CENTER www.albanytech.edu

229.430.3500 229.732.5280

President ’s Letter SOLUTIONS – WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR YOUR BUSINESS? With this edition, you will notice the name of our Economic Development department publication has changed from Technically Speaking to Solutions. You may ask “why the name change?”

Let me begin by saying that the training and continuing education opportunities provided by our Economic Development department has not changed. We are just making it better and providing greater training resources to help you and your business evolve and grow with today’s fast-changing trends.

If you recall, we rebranded our Economic Development department name last fall. It is now known as Center for Business Solutions at Albany Technical College or CBS, for short. What better way to further brand CBS than to rename the department’s publication to simply Solutions.

What solutions are we prepared to provide to you and your business? Our expanded program offerings not only include our Lean Six Sigma program, but we have now added both Operations Management and Project Management.

The addition of our Operations Management and Project Management programs provide a training ground for your employees to learn not only the different types of operations necessary for the successful flow of product within your organization, but also teaches several other important facets of your business including human resource strategies, supply chain operation, inventory and planning management, and material and scheduling operations.

Solutions also means we can provide customer service training and several other continuing education classes designed to fit your business needs.

We hope that you will allow us the opportunity to provide your business with Solutions that are catered to fit your specific needs by contacting our Center for Business Solutions today.

Thank you for all you do to make Albany and Southwest Georgia a great place to live and work.

Sincerely,

Anthony O. Parker, Ph.D. President, Albany Technical College

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Voice of t he Vice President

LOOKING FOR SOLUTIONS? LOOK NO FURTHER THAN CBS AT ALBANY TECH! Solutions! That’s what we’re about at the Center for Business Solutions at Albany Technical College.

Solutions for your business.. Solutions that fit your needs when you need them. Solutions delivered as a result of listening to your needs and working with you to develop relevant options for your company.

Whether it is customized solutions, solutions that are offered through our credit programs in Operations Management, Lean Six Sigma, Business Logistics; or solutions that are offered through Continuing Education partnerships, we’re here to meet your needs.

Please take a moment to look through this issue of Solutions. Visit us on the web: http://cbs.albanytech. edu or give us a call: 229-430-3563. Let us know how we can best help you increase efficiency and affect your bottom line!

Sincerely,

Matt Trice Vice President, Center for Business Solutions

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Albany Tech Driver’s Ed Program Receives $2500 Grant from State Farm Albany Technical College’s Driver’s Education program has received a $2,500 grant from State Farm to fund scholarships for Driver’s Ed students.

“Celebrate My Drive” is the name of the essay contest where students will submit an essay on “Why (texting, drinking, horse playing, etc.) and driving is not safe.” The essay will need to focus on one of these topics and be 150 words or more in length.

For more than a decade, State Farm has teamed with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to focus on how they can change behavior to improve teen driver safety. Using this expertise as a guide, State Farm debuted this new approach to keeping teens safe on the road. As a result, “Celebrate My Drive” was launched in September of 2012 to rally communities to celebrate new drivers as they explore the road ahead. By celebrating the drive with teens and their parents and helping to fund programs such as Albany Tech’s Driver’s Education program, State Farm is working to prevent teen crashes, reduce injuries, and save lives.

Local State Farm Agents Steve Perrine, Tim Thomas and Al Hatcher will be present at the conference on February 18th to help Albany Tech officials kick off the essay contest.

Deadline for essay entries will be 5pm on April 1, 2013.

Currently, the Driver’s Education course at Albany Tech is designed to meet the State of Georgia’s Joshua Law

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requirement. The classes consist of 30 hours of classroom instruction and six hours of supervised training. Cost for students is $250. Albany Tech also offers a one-on-one sixhour Driver’s Education for the adult beginner at a cost of $275 per person.

For more information on the Driver’s Education course at Albany Tech or the “Celebrate My Drive” essay contest, visit the Center for Business Solutions website at http://cbs. albanytech.edu or call 229.430.3563.

ALBANY TECHNICAL COLLEGE AND STATE FARM PRESENT...

Driver’s Education Scholarship Essay Contest 150 words or more essay on: “Why (texting, drinking, horse playing, etc.) and driving is not safe.”

Choose one topic to discuss. 10 students with the best essays will be awarded.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION: All entries should be typed, double spaced, and emailed to: vwilliams@albanytech.edu by April 1, 2013 at 5pm.

All entries MUST include the following information to be a valid essay submission: • Name and Address (Street, City, State, and Zip) • Phone Number • Email Address • Name of High School you are currently attending • Name and phone number of your High School counselor CONTACT INFORMATION: Center for Business Solutions 229.430.3563 cbs@albanytech.edu Albany Technical College is a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national or ethnic origin, gender, religion, disability, age, political affiliation or belief, genetic information, veteran status, or citizenship status (except in those special circumstances permitted or mandated by law).

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EquinoxChemicals When Equinox Chemicals relocated to Albany, Georgia over nine years ago, little did they know they would expand their employee base from about ten people to over 100 employees. It is for this reason and many others that they were nominated for this year’s Manufacturer of the Year award.

In an effort to find a niche in the chemicals industry in order to have the ability to be competitive in the global marketplace, South Georgia became the location of choice for president, Mark Grimaldi.

Specializing in the preparation and design of organic molecules, Equinox offers a wide range of synthetic services including servicing government, R&D, pharmaceutical, food, flavor, fragrance, industrial coatings, polymers, semiconductor, alternative fuels, and specialty chemical sectors. In 2011, Equinox began a partnership with Rynex, a breakthrough in green dry cleaning technology.

Other divisions of Equinox include Best Tech Brands, which provide a portfolio of fuel, lubricant and performance additives that can significantly reduce emissions, improve fuel economy, and improve overall engine performance. Another division is Adco, which is located across from the Albany Airport, which is a leading manufacturer of a comprehensive line of specialty cleaning

chemicals and detergents used in dry cleaning, commercial laundry and janitorial and institutional cleaning applications.

Honored as the “Small Business of the Year” in 2011 by the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce, Equinox has expanded into more than a dozen foreign countries. With this type of growth, the need for more employee training and continuing education will definitely be a plus for the company’s continued success.

Albany Tech’s Center for Business Solutions (CBS) is pleased with a potential partnership with Equinox Chemicals to better train all employees. With CBS’s recent additions of the Project Management and Operations Management programs, Equinox employees will definitely be able to provide those in-demand Solutions to the company on a daily basis, thus improving the bottom line.

Another possible training force for Equinox includes CBS’s Lean Six Sigma program, which began in 2010. With employees being able to earn a Quality Assurance Specialist (Green Belt) or the Quality Assurance Professional (Black Belt), they will be able to help Equinox in its business initiatives to better define the company’s objectives, as well as help in identifying and reducing waste factors, and much more.

Equinox President, Mark Grimaldi, says he is excited about the potential training partnership opportunity with Albany Tech and what it can do to help the company.

FORKLIFT CERTIFICATION

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Students demonstrate skill, safety and efficiency in operating a sit-down, counterbalance forklift. Certification is available to students who qualify.

COST: $100 HOURS: 8 CEUs: 0.80 TIME: 8:00am – 4:00pm CAMPUS: Albany DATE: Every Other

Saturday Please call EDP at 229-430-3563 to register for classes

DRIVER’S EDUCATION COURSES

This course is designed to meet the State’s Joshua Law requirements. Classes consist of 30 hours of classroom instructions and six hours of supervised training.

We also offer One-on-One six hour Driver’s Education for the adult beginner.

COST: High School Students: $250 HOURS: 36 CEUs: 3.60

Other Adults: $275 CAMPUS: Albany DATE: As requested

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Managemen New Lab Allows Students to Learn All Aspects of the Business

Learning all aspects in the Hotel/ Restaurant/Tourism Management (HRTM) business is an easy concept at Albany Tech with brand new labs on the campus.

Lisa Riddle, chair and instructor for the HRTM program at Albany Tech, has been with the college since last year. Coming from the Albany Convention and Visitors Bureau as Director, Riddle has worked in the business for years and shares a wealth of knowledge with her students. The new labs make it easy for her to teach her students as effectively as possible.

High School have shown interest in a dual enrollment in the HRT program and we hope to be able to provide that option in the near future,” said Riddle.

“With our new labs, students are able to touch on every area of the HRTM business, including marketing, HR, and even etiquette,” said Lisa Riddle, Chair and instructor for the HRTM program at Albany Tech.

With two hotel room setups, a cruise ship room, hotel lobby, travel agency, and a café, students are afforded the opportunity to learn all facets of the business for a well-rounded education and advanced preparation for the workforce.

In the HRTM program, students can earn a diploma or associate’s degree. There are also two technical certificates of credits (Hotel Management Specialist and Event Coordinator) that students can choose to embed in their diploma or degree or take as a stand-alone certificate.

What started out as a one-room lab when the program began has certainly expanded into more than students and instructors could ever imagine. With the opening of Albany Tech’s new Logistics Education Center in 2010, space became available in Freedom Hall to expand the HRTM labs and provide a way for students to truly learn all areas of this occupation.

For high school students interested in dual enrollment, HRTM will soon be included in a list of programs for students wanting to earn college credit while still in high school. Recently, Albany Tech began a dual enrollment with the Culinary Arts program with Lee County High School.

“Both Lee County High School and Monroe

For more information about the HRTM program at Albany Tech, contact Lisa Riddle at 229.430.3571 or email lriddle@albanytech.edu. You can also visit Albany Tech’s website at www.albanytech.edu and click on the Hotel/Restaurant/Tourism Management sub-link under Areas of Study.

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nt Program Hotel/Restaurant/Tourism Management Student Says Program Provides More Insight for On-the-Job Preparation

Albany Tech Hotel/Restaurant/Tourism Management (HRTM) student, Vanessa Wright, is no stranger to the business.

Having worked in the field for a few years prior to enrolling in the program at Albany Tech, Wright says the insight she has received through the program has given her more on-the-job preparedness.

Currently, Wright is employed at the Hampton Inn located by the Albany Mall as the night auditor where she handles front desk check-ins, accounting, and several other aspects of the hotel. She began with a Marriott hotel in Albany a few years ago and later found out Albany Tech had an

HRTM program. She immediately enrolled and has learned more than she ever thought possible.

“The HRTM program at Albany Tech reinforces what I had learned on the job,” said Wright. “In fact, the procedures used at a hotel are the exact same as what we are learning here in the program.”

Wright said that she enjoys working in the HRTM industry and meeting lots of people is her favorite part of the job. While employed by Marriott, Wright met a guest she checked in from Australia. She told the guest how much her daughter wanted to visit Australia and he brought her coins to give her daughter.

“Working with people and meeting new people is the best part of my job,” said Wright.

Wright has already earned her diploma in HRTM and is currently working on her associate’s degree. She expects to graduate this summer and aspires to one day own her own hotel.

“Without the training I received in the HRTM program at Albany Tech, I wouldn’t have the knowledge that I have in this industry to do my job as efficiently as I can,” said Wright. “I would definitely recommend the program to anyone interested in going into this field.”

Left to right: Lisa Riddle HRTM Pr og ram Chair, Vanessa Wright, HRTM Student

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PROJECT MANAGEMENT CERTIFICATION TWO OPTIONS

1. As an individual holding a Bachelor’s degree, complete as a Master Certificate to meet the Project Management Professional (PMP) educational requirement for national certification from Project Management Institute (PMI).

2. Complete as an embedded course for credit in the Operations Management program leading to certification as a Certified Associate in Project Management.

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Project Management Albany Technical College’s Center for Business Solutions (CBS) kicked off 2013 with the start of a new program – Project Management. Having just added the new Operations Management program last fall, this program provides an even greater opportunity for students to satisfy the requirements to become a Certified Associate Project Manager (CAPM®).

By conforming to the educational requirements of the Project Management Institute for sitting for the PMP® certification exam, the Project Management program consists of a blended format utilizing online components, as well as in-class lab experiences. Coursework is designed to take students from Initiating, Planning and Executing, to Monitoring, Controlling and Closing a project.

program and many other program offerings in the CBS arena. Heading up the Center’s popular Lean Six Sigma program at Albany Tech, Eidson, who is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt instructor, just last year passed the Project Management Professional (PMP) exam through the Project Management Institute (PMI). The PMP designation is the most important industry recognized certification for Project Managers.

Eidson, also named as Albany Tech’s 2010 Rick Perkins Instructor of the Year, has allowed Albany Tech to serve over 30 companies throughout the state of Georgia with obtaining Green and Black Belt certifications. Eidson also teaches the Operations Management program at Albany Tech.

Through the Project Management program at CBS, many questions like “How many people will this take?” “How long before it is finished?” “How much will this cost?” will be answered.

One of Albany Tech’s most seasoned instructor, Dr. Steve Eidson, brings a wealth of knowledge to this

For more information about the Project Management program at Albany Tech, contact Dr. Steve Eidson, CEDT, PMP, at 229.430.6619 or email seidson@albanytech.edu. You may also find more information about the program and other programs offered by the Center for Business Solutions at Albany Tech by visiting http://cbs.albanytech.edu.

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The Center for Business Solutions

at Albany Technical College provides training support for all businesses within Southwest Georgia. We are a proactive SOLUTIONS-BASED organization who will work with your business objectives in mind.

Contact us today for a free consultation at 229.430.3563 or email cbs@albanytech.edu 14

Commercial Truck Driving The Commercial Truck Driving certificate program provides the knowledge and hands-on training necessary to obtain a CDL in the State of Georgia and provides the opportunity to obtain employment in the Commercial Truck Driving industry. The length of the program is 8 weeks which includes the State Exam for the CDL. A person must be a minimum of 18 years of age to attend the program; and must be 21 years of age to drive outside the State of Georgia.

COST: $375 CAMPUS: Albany

DATE:

As requested

In addition to the eight week training program, we offer a 40 hour refresher course that runs for one week. This includes a day of classroom training (i.e. Federal D.O.T. regulations and Hours of Service requirements), 2 days on the skills field, and 2 days of on-road driving

COST: $450 CAMPUS: Albany

DATE:

As requested

Please call EDP at 229-430-3563 to register for classes

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1704 S. Slappey Blvd.

Albany, Georgia 31701

Dougherty County Campus: 229.430.3500 | Randolph County Learning Center: 229.732.5280 www.albanytech.edu As set forth in its student catalog, Albany Technical College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national or ethnic origin, gender, religion, disability, age, political affiliation or belief, genetic information, veteran status, or citizenship status (except in those special circumstances permitted or mandated by law). The following person(s) has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Title IX Coordinator, Kathy Skates, Vice President of Administrative Services, Albany Technical College, 1704 S. Slappey Blvd., Albany, GA 31701. Phone 229.430.3524 and Section 504 Coordinator, Regina Watts, Special Needs Coordinator, Albany Technical College, 1704 S. Slappey Blvd., Albany, GA 31701, 229.430.2854 or rwatts@albanytech.edu.