S E P T E M B E R 2020
contents Chairman’s Column page 2 Meetings & Events page 4 See Who's Hiring page 5 Small Business of the Month page 7 Member Announcements page 10 Welcome New Members Page 11 Non-Profit Spotlights page 14 Education & Leadership page 15
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Workforce Development: The Ongoing Mission Lanier Technical College begins Fall Semester with what is likely to be a record number of students enrolled. While the work we do is essential in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the work we do has always been essential to the economic vitality of the communities we serve. In May 1964, a visionary group of leaders from Hall County, led by what is now known as the Greater Hall Chamber, gathered together and agreed to create a technical school for the expressed purpose of workforce Dr. Ray Perren development. That school first opened President in September 1966, as the Lanier Area Lanier Technical College Vocational-Technical School. Though our name changed over the years – Lanier Technical Institute and now Lanier Technical College – our mission remains the same today as it was in 1964: workforce development. Those visionary leaders understood in 1964, that the most important resource in our community was not land, natural resources, or investment capital. They understood that the most important resource in any community is its people. Lanier Technical College exists to help the people of our area develop their skills and passions into careers. Since our first graduating class in June 1967, Lanier Technical College has graduated well over 30,000 individuals. Lanier Tech graduates are found in every sector of the economy from healthcare, manufacturing and business, to education, entrepreneurial small businesses, government and public safety. While our mission remains unchanged, the means of carrying out that mission has changed. Our curriculum has changed many times since we first opened our doors. For example, computers as we know them now did not exist in 1964. But now, with the digital revolution sweeping throughout every facet of the economy, we offer many computer programs rang-
Small Business Seminar via Zoom
Tuesday, September 15
Job Fair & Career Expo Gainesville Civic Center
Tuesday, September 29
South Hall Business Coalition Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta
Job Fair & Career Expo on September 15 (10am-2pm) with 45+ employers onsite. Wear a mask, and bring your resume! See EXHIBITORS on page 5.
featured member
Wednesday, September 9
ing from programming, networking, and cybersecurity. Although we focus on hands-on instruction, we also offer a robust distance education component to many of our programs. Last year, students from 49 Georgia counties, as well as from 10 other states, took coursework from Lanier Technical College through distance education. Graduate placement is an important measure in determining the success of our workforce development mission. While job placement numbers for the year are not yet final, we are well on our way to reporting 100% job placement for the fifth consecutive year and for the seventh time out of the last eight years. While we can’t guarantee that our graduates will find employment, we can and do guarantee that our graduates are job ready. We provide each Lanier Technical College graduate a warranty, in writing, that we will stand behind their education to the extent that we will retrain our graduates at no cost should they be unable to meet their employer’s expectations in performing the job for which they prepared while at Lanier Tech. While we are proud of our track record in preparing our graduates for great careers, we are most proud of the difference we make in the lives of every student that passes through our doors. There are countless stories of how Lanier Technical College changed the path for our students. Lanier Tech students are encouraged to develop their passion as they prepare for great careers. Whether that passion is building things, providing healthcare, teaching young children, working with computers, fighting fires, working on high-performance racing teams, and many other areas, we help prepare our students to live out their dreams. Our mission is workforce development. Yet, through our credit programs, our adult literacy programs, or our continuing education programs, this is one mission for which we will never say “mission accomplished.” This mission is ongoing. We are committed to being the “go-to” training partner for employers in our service area for generations to come.