Southwest Georgia Technical College (SWGTC) recently nominated Cleaver Brooks for the Manufacturer of the Year Award as the representative from Thomas County.  This award, given in association with Manufacturing Appreciation Week, a week-long celebration of manufacturers and their importance to the state of Georgia, was developed by the Technical College System of Georgia and the Georgia Department of Economic Development.  Manufacturing Appreciation Week was celebrated April 25-29th this year and ended with an awards luncheon on April 28th at the Georgia International Convention Center in Atlanta.

“Cleaver-Brooks was nominated for this award because they have been an outstanding supporter of both the College and the local community. This support has come from both management and employees of Cleaver-Brooks. They have contributed to Southwest Georgia Technical College’s success by participating in and supporting various College programs and committees. In addition, Cleaver- Brooks has been an excellent corporate supporter of the community and their recent expansions have meant increased job opportunities for many people in the surrounding area,” said Gary Pitts, Vice President of Economic Development at SWGTC.

Nominations for this award are made based on three criteria: corporate responsibility, economic impact on Georgia, and workforce excellence.

Business should demonstrate corporate responsibility throughout initiatives such as:

Company-sponsored community involvement efforts (literacy, mentoring, volunteer programs, United Way participation, etc.)

Civic involvement (Kiwanis, Rotary, Chamber of Commerce activities, etc.)

Educational partnerships (school volunteer projects, youth outreach, Adopt-a-School programs/donations, underwriting of events, etc.)

Corporate citizenship honors from industry, government or community groups

Business should demonstrate economic growth in:

Years in the community

Economic impact can be revenues, capital investment, growth of new jobs, or other impact as appropriate

Business should demonstrate a commitment to workforce excellence through examples such as:

Programs which help employees balance work and family life issues (flex-time, job-sharing, transportation pools, subsidized or company-sponsored childcare or transportation programs, telecommuting, compressed work week, part-time scheduling, school-year scheduling, etc.)

Employee education programs (tuition reimbursement, personal development seminars, staff development planning, etc.)

Diversity awareness (diversity committees, multicultural awareness initiatives, special outreach efforts, etc.)

Employee recognition/rewards (employee of the month/year, gain-sharing, profit-sharing, special investment programs, etc.)

“Cleaver-Brooks was extremely honored to be nominated for the 2011 Manufacturer of the Year award program.  Over the past twelve months, Cleaver-Brooks has relocated its corporate headquarters from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Thomasville, Georgia in addition to expanding the Thomasville production facility.  The tremendous support of the local and state Chambers of Commerce along with ongoing support from Southwest Georgia Technical College helped to make this transition and expansion possible.  With such outstanding resources available in the local community, Cleaver-Brooks is proud to call Thomasville home,” said Dennis Hettinger, Corporate Human Resources Director of Cleaver Brooks.

This week was created to increase awareness about how vital manufacturing is to Georgia’s economy.  Nearly 10,000 manufacturing facilities are located in Georgia, providing jobs for approximately 400,000 Georgians, which equals out to be almost 10 percent of the employment in our state.  Georgia’s manufacturing operations include a variety of industries, such as transportation equipment, aerospace, computers and electronics, food, paper, metal fabrication, textiles, and plastics.

SWGTC offers more than 80 certificate, diploma, and degree programs. Many of these programs provide training for some of the nation’s fastest-growing career fields including Nursing, Automotive Technology, Clinical Laboratory Technology, and Criminal Justice Technology. More information may be obtained by calling 229-225-4096 or by logging onto www.southwestgatech.edu. 


Summer Mini-Term classes begin July 6. Remember that SWGTC is converting to the semester system beginning August 22, 2011. Don’t delay, enroll today!

Southwest Georgia Technical College is a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia.