A who’s who of Savannah’s top manufacturers were honored Friday night at the Savannah Technical College Foundation’s 10th annual Opportunity Award Gala.
Construction equipment maker JCB, aircraft giant Gulfstream and chemicals producer SNF Inc. were just a few of the manufacturers recognized for their contributions to the area’s economy. Other companies honored included office module builder DIRTT, Leopold’s Ice Cream and private nonprofit CCD, or Coastal Center for Development Services.
About 300 people attended the black-tie event at Savannah Tech’s Eckburg Auditorium, representing about a dozen different manufacturers in the region.
“It’s not your dad’s manufacturing anymore,” said Laura Lee Bocade, co-chair of the gala and community outreach leader at DIRTT, whose company was named Georgia’s Manufacturer of the Year.
“Manufacturing today is quite a different animal … it’s really technologically driven,” she said, explaining that the phrase advanced manufacturing means the use of innovative or cutting edge technologies to improve products.
Whereas in years past, the gala honored individuals, this year the foundation decided to recognize the industry as a whole. Bocade said Savannah Tech has worked closely with industry partners to keep pace with what manufacturers need in terms of skilled employees.
Stratton Leopold, last year’s recipient of the Opportunity Award, said it was good to focus on the industry as a whole.
“I think it’s important to the area because it’s jobs, and Savannah Tech fills that need so eloquently,” said Leopold, who added that part of his staff is enrolled at Savannah Technical College.
Bill Dickinson, CEO of Wet Willie’s daiquiri bar chain, said he also hires students coming from Savannah Tech’s culinary program.
At the gala, it was also announced that Savannah Tech received the Technical College System of Georgia’s 2013 College of the Year distinction.
“It’s been a great big year for us,” said Savannah Technical College President Kathy Love.
Husband and wife Kevin and Elizabeth Steinbach, both employees at JCB, attended the gala and spoke of their experiences with finding jobs in the sector. In the economic downturn of 2008, Kevin lost his landscaping business.
Rather than look for work, he and his wife used their savings to enroll at Savannah Tech and retrain. Kevin enrolled in JCB’s internship program in 2012 and was hired fulltime afterward as a service parts expeditor.
“My ability to get my foot in the door through the internship program was very significant to our careers, because she is employed at JCB as well,” said Kevin.
Elizabeth, who works fulltime as an accounts payable processor, still has five classes to earn her degree, which she is doing through night courses and online.
Karen Guinn, general manager of marketing communications at JCB, said her company had been successful in finding people in the area to fill many of their technical jobs.
“Manufacturing as an industry is one of the leading indicators of economic growth. So to see so many of the local manufacturers band together to support a technical college and also be recognized is hugely important for this region,” said Guinn.
The annual gala is the chief fundraiser for the Savannah Technical College Foundation, raising between $50,000 and $100,000 for scholarships.
SAVANNAH TECHNICAL COLLEGE NAMED TCSG COLLEGE OF THE YEAR
The Technical College System of Georgia has named Savannah Technical College its 2013 College of the Year.
The chair of the TCSG board, Lynn Cornett, presented its annual Perdue Award to Savannah Technical College’s President Kathy Love during the board’s monthly meeting in Atlanta. STC beat out 23 other colleges for the distinction.
“Dr. Love and the faculty and staff of Savannah Technical College are to be congratulated for their strong focus on serving their students, changing lives and building a better workforce for the coastal Georgia region,” said Cornett in a press release.
The college’s achievements include the opening of a 30,000-square-foot Aviation Training Center this year, which will prepare students for aircraft manufacturing jobs.
Each year the TCSG board evaluates the state’s technical colleges using different performance categories, including enrollment, retention, graduation rates and national awards.
In the past academic year, Savannah Tech enrolled 7,380 students and had about 1,600 graduates, a 6 percent increase over the previous year.
“It’s a wonderful recognition that represents a lot of hard work by a lot of very good people at Savannah Technical College,” said Love.
The TCSG award is named after former Governor Sonny Perdue, a big supporter of the state’s technical colleges. The TCSG encompasses 24 colleges and offers affordable education in more than 600 certificate, diploma and two-year associate degree programs.
— Julia Ritchey