Industrial Leader Helping College, Industry Grow In N. GA.

HAAS, Jeffreys Manufacturing Donate $17,500 To Georgia Northwestern

 

 

“Visiting Densmore Machine in Whitfield County, Georgia to recognize the gift to Georgia Northwestern Technical College were industry and local leaders from across Northwest Georgia. Shown in the front row, from left, are Rob Bradham, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce; Johnathon Densmore, Chief Operating Officer of Densmore Machine; David Aycock, Jeffreys Manufacturing Solutions; John Densmore, Jr., Chief Executive Officer of Densmore Machine, and Carl Campbell, Vice President of Economic Development of the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce. In the back row, from left, are Chuck Payne, Georgia State Senator District 54; Carl Roberts, Tooling Supplier and Engineer for Alternatives for Industry; Jimmy Densmore, Chief Financial Officer and Operations Manager of Densmore Machine; Phil Shirley, Machine Tool Technology Director at Georgia Northwestern Technical College, and Jason Gamel, Director of Institutional Advancement at Georgia Northwestern Technical College.”

 

 

(Dalton, Georgia) –  With graduates of Georgia Northwestern Technical College manning the machines at Densmore Machine in Dalton, Georgia on a daily basis, it’s easy to see where donations to the region’s largest college actually go in the end. Industry and local leaders stopped in at Densmore Machine on July 17 to celebrate a special gift from an industry leader.

After committing $20,000 to Phil Shirley’s Machine Tool Technology program at Georgia Northwestern Technical College in 2016, Jeffreys Manufacturing Solutions has presented the college with the Gene Haas Scholarship award for the second straight year. This time, the industrial machining giant donated $17,500 to the college’s program, benefitting the college’s program and the workforce it’s training.

The Gene Haas Foundation Machining Technology Scholarship is awarded to institutions which teach Machine Tool Technology and similar areas of study. The primary goal of the award is to help ease the financial burden of qualified students, allowing them to successfully complete their education and earn employment within their expertise.

“It’s all about the workers,” said Jimmy Densmore, Densmore Machine Operations Manager. “We have one man working the HAAS equipment right now that is a recent graduate of Georgia Northwestern. I’m also a graduate of Georgia Northwestern. The Machine Tool program at the college is a lot like our business. We need to be able to prepare for work that needs to be done or we go out of business.”

Densmore graduated from Georgia Northwestern Technical College’s Drafting Technology program. “I realized that working in my family’s business, I could use that drafting education to help us grow,” said Densmore. “I could draw up parts companies were ordering in 3-D. Then, I could have the machines make the parts to order.”

Two decades after first opening its doors, Densmore Machine would take a new direction. Starting out in a modest 4,500-square-foot building in the Dawnville Community of Whitfield County, this family-owned business made a decision. The economic collapse of the housing industry nearly a decade ago pushed companies across the country, including Densmore, to look at things with a whole new perspective.

“We learned we would have to be able to do a lot of things for a lot of companies to survive,” said Densmore. “It would require new equipment to do jobs we never had to do before. Jobs which required machines we never had to purchase before. We’ve been buying machines from HAAS ever since as the workload demands it. Of course, a change like that requires trained staff. We know GNTC’s Machine Tool program works closely with HAAS. It’s really kind of a partnership.”

A company that thrives today on the coming together of companies, a college, and a workforce, was little more than an idea just 33 years ago. One born in the mind of Densmore’s Grandfather, John Densmore, Sr. Shortly before the current Operations Manager was born, his grandfather made the decision to go into business for himself. With all the money he could gather, Densmore, Sr. hit the road to Detroit, Michigan to a closed down auto plant. It was there he would purchase the North Georgia company’s first two pieces of equipment.

Today, three generations of Densmore machinists later, the company has grown from its original rural machine shop in the outskirts of Dalton, Georgia to a 12,500-square foot facility right on Interstate 75 in South Whitfield County. Georgia Northwestern offers campuses in Dalton (Whitfield Murray Campus), Ringgold (Catoosa County Campus), Rome (Floyd County Campus), Calhoun (Gordon County Campus), Rockmart (Polk County Campus), and Rock Spring (Walker County Campus.)

GNTC offers more than 200 programs online and on-campus. Georgia Northwestern Technical College provides quality workforce education to the citizens of Northwest Georgia. Students have the opportunity to earn an associate degree, diploma, or a certificate in business, health, industrial, or public service career paths. This past year, 14,151 people benefited from GNTC’s credit and noncredit programs. With an annual credit enrollment of 7,956 students, GNTC is the largest college in Northwest Georgia. GNTC has an additional enrollment of 6,195 people through adult education, continuing education, business and industry training, and Georgia Quick Start.  For more information about GNTC, visit us at GNTC.edu or contact a Student Help Center on any one of our six campus locations at 866-983-4682.  For information online, visit the college at GNTC.edu, as well as on GNTC’s Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Google+, WordPress, and YouTube channels. GNTC is a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia and an Equal Opportunity Institution.

Roper Corporation, Georgia Northwestern Launch Apprenticeship Program

“Shown in the front row, from left, are Rhonda Beasley, Roper Corporation Human Resources Manager; Scott Brown, Roper Corporation President; C. Pete McDonald, Georgia Northwestern Technical College President; Dr. Heidi Popham, Georgia Northwestern Technical College Executive Vice President. Shown in second row, from left, are Dr. Michael Fennell, Georgia Northwestern Technical College Dean of Academic Affairs; Scott Lee Reece, Roper Corporation Organizational Development Leader; Dr. Mindy McCannon, Georgia Northwestern Technical College Vice President of Academic Affairs; Alan Lyles, Roper Corporation Maintenance Team Leader for Assembly; Steve Patterson, Roper Corporation Manufacturing Engineering Manager for Fabrication Finishing and Facilities; Mike Signiski, Roper Corporation Manufacturing Engineering Manager for Assembly; Sarah Harrison, Georgia WorkSmart Regional Apprenticeship Coordinator; and Rodney Lewis, Roper Corporation Maintenance Business Leader.”

(Walker County, Georgia) – Georgia Northwestern Technical College and the Roper Corporation, a division of General Electric, officially entered into an agreement Friday afternoon to launch a “Registered Apprenticeship” program.

Through coordination with Georgia WorkSmart, the state’s apprenticeship program, both GNTC and Roper will begin training apprentices in the Mechatronics program.

What is Apprenticeship in Georgia? The Georgia.org website defines it as, “…a work-based training method that combines formal instruction with on-site, occupation-related training. Apprentices typically work 30-40 hours per week and receive classroom training through part-time attendance at technical colleges, universities or approved training providers. Using the apprentice model can help businesses grow their own talent and build a motivated and qualified workforce. Employers use apprentice programs to recruit and train new employees and to upskill their current workforce.”

Stay tuned for the full story next week on this new partnership between one of the region’s largest employers and the region’s largest college.

 

STEMulating Camp For Catoosa Middle Schoolers

Roper Corporation Manager Don Gregg serves as the Master of Ceremonies for the Camp STEMulate “Egg Drop” project. Catoosa County Middle Schoolers were given a short amount of time and limited supplies to design a way to protect a nuclear device from being damaged as a result of a free fall. (In this exercise, the nuclear device was an egg and the free fall was a drop of approximately 12 feet.)

 

 

(Ringgold, Georgia) – Nearly 60 campers from Heritage, Lakeview, and Ringgold Middle Schools are spending the week at the Catoosa County Campus of Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) to take part in Camp STEMulate.

In cooperation with Mohawk Industries, North Georgia E.M.C., Roper Corporation, Shaw Industries, and GNTC, Catoosa County School students are getting first-hand, high-tech experience through this STEM camp. The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) program was first developed nearly a decade ago as a national project to help drive students towards excelling in these areas of study.

Among the areas students are receiving state-of-the-art training are Coding, Electronics, Rapid Prototyping, and Design. From learning how to design their own race cars to experiencing the manufacturing processes behind the flooring industry in Northwest Georgia, these young men and women are learning about many of the careers waiting for them in the region. More importantly, they are learning what it will take to excel in those careers.

The Youth Scholar Program administered in part by the Floyd County Schools on the Floyd County Campus of GNTC is also underway this week. The camps being held in Northwest Georgia are available in large part due to economic development efforts by the organizations, companies, and schools of the area. It is an effort to help grow the industries currently in the region, as well as companies set to call our area “home” in the future.

Georgia Northwestern Technical College provides quality workforce education to the citizens of Northwest Georgia. Students have the opportunity to earn an associate degree, diploma, or a certificate in business, health, industrial, or public service career paths. This past year, 14,151 people benefited from GNTC’s credit and noncredit programs. With an annual credit enrollment of 7,956 students, GNTC is the largest college in Northwest Georgia. GNTC has an additional enrollment of 6,195 people through adult education, continuing education, business and industry training, and Georgia Quick Start.  For more information about GNTC, visit us at GNTC.edu or contact a Student Help Center on any one of our six campus locations at 866-983-4682.  For information online, visit the college at GNTC.edu, as well as on GNTC’s Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Google+, WordPress, and YouTube channels. GNTC is a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia and an Equal Opportunity Institution.

 

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Georgia Northwestern Medical Management Program Perfect In 2017

Health Information Management Helping Start New Lives In Northwest Georgia

 

“Georgia Northwestern Technical College Health Information Management Technology instructors Donna Estes, left, and Susan Bowman, right, pose with one of their latest success stories in Ringgold, Georgia’s Katrina Putman.”

 

(Northwest Georgia) – When you’re in your 40’s, have three children, and you are starting over from scratch, launching an educational journey into the healthcare industry may sound a little challenging. But for Ringgold’s Katrina Putman, as well as her 19 classmates, it ultimately pushed her into a brand new way of life!

After her employer of 10 years shut its doors forever in April of 2016, Putman felt the pressure. As a GNTC Student of the Year finalist this past year, though, the Northwest Georgia mother of three found her composure and was able to set the tone for herself and her Health Information Management Technology (H.I.M.T.) classmates.

Fifteen of Georgia Northwestern Technical College H.I.M.T. students took the Registered Health Information Technician Certification Exam this spring. Taught by GNTC instructors Donna Estes, Susan Bowman, and Karen Hill, all 15 students who took the certification exams, passed.

And, that includes Katrina Putman.

Two weeks ago, the perfect 4.0 student and her 19 classmates walked the graduation stage in Rome, Georgia. Putman took her walk as an honors graduate. Estes, Putman’s advisor, was who really got her going inside the classroom. She even nominated the non-traditional college sophomore for the college’s G.O.A.L. Award. Each year, the G.O.A.L., Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership, goes to the college’s top student.

Although she didn’t come out on top at the local level, Putman learned what she needed to be able to provide for her family. “I learned how to speak in front of crowds,” proudly said Putman. “And, with me being out of work, I needed that skill set to help me find not only a job, but the right career for myself and my family.” Not two weeks into her unemployment, Putnam had an interview with the Chattanooga Health Institute. Less than an hour after her interview was over, she was called back and asked to take a Control Analyst job with the institute.

“These are the stories that we love to see unfold,” said GNTC Instructor of Health Information Management Technology Donna Estes. “Katrina’s is yet another special story that is an inspiration to others who come to our program.”

Now, more than a year into her new job with the Chattanooga Heart Institute, Putman is proud to wear the moniker of “GNTC Graduate.” “My instructors shoved me out of my comfort zone,” said Putman, “They made me realize that I have no limits except the ones I place on myself.”

Georgia Northwestern is not only helping students find their way in the Health Information Management arena, they are also helping other colleges. GNTC’s sister-schools Augusta Technical College and Georgia Piedmont Technical College also received training from the Walker County, Georgia-based program. GNTC is among the first in the state to have a Health Information Management Technology program.

“These other colleges saw how we have really grown things at GNTC and they wanted to learn what we knew about getting an H.I.M.T. program off the ground,” said Estes. “From laying out an academic plan for our students to have the best chance to succeed, to handling the administrative side of a health information technology education, we do a really good job here at GNTC.” The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics estimates the Health Information Management Technology field to grow more than 20-percent over the next six years. Specialists in the field typically earn between $36,000 and $50,000 each year. However, managers can see salaries above $80,000.

Georgia Northwestern Technical College provides quality workforce education to the citizens of Northwest Georgia. Students have the opportunity to earn an associate degree, diploma, or a certificate in business, health, industrial, or public service career paths. This past year, 14,151 people benefited from GNTC’s credit and noncredit programs. With an annual credit enrollment of 7,956 students, GNTC is the largest college in Northwest Georgia. GNTC has an additional enrollment of 6,195 people through adult education, continuing education, business and industry training, and Georgia Quick Start.  For more information about GNTC, visit us at GNTC.edu or contact a Student Help Center on any one of our six campus locations at 866-983-4682.  For information online, visit the college at GNTC.edu, as well as on GNTC’s Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Google+, WordPress, and YouTube channels. GNTC is a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia and an Equal Opportunity Institution.

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