Athens-Clarke County’s 3rd Annual Industry Appreciation Dinner was held on April 18, 2016 to celebrate the contributions that local manufacturers make to the Athens community.  The event was attended by over 80 guests, including local, state and national elected officials, community leaders and the captains of industry throughout Athens.  

Athens-Clarke County Mayor Nancy Denson opened the evening by welcoming our guests and expressing what a busy year it has been for manufacturing in Athens. “In just the past year we saw new capital investment announced or completed in facilities such as Noramco, McCann, and Nakanshi,” she announced. She continued, “Together these three plants invested over $40M in Athens. Industrial property alone accounted for $39M in net tax digest growth from 2014 to 2015.” She also mentioned other milestone events including the opening of Southern Brewing Company, the acquirement of Power Partners which demonstrates its continued growth and the announcement that Carrier Transicold was named one of North America’s best plants by Industry Week.

Mayor Denson also noted that our local government has been busy too. The Planning Department recently unveiled a totally new process for plans review that is more efficient and more customer friendly. The Ben-Epps Airport completed a 600-foot expansion which will allow for safer takeoffs and landings, allow planes to carry heavier loads and will better serve our citizens and our corporate partners. And lastly, Mayor Denson introduced Blaine Williams to the crowd and shared his new role as the County Manager. 

Mayor Denson concluded by saying, “We recognize that the economic impact of existing industry growth is oftentimes more substantial than new industry locations and we are poised to facilitate that growth. Economic Development takes the entire community. Thank you for playing an integral role in the success of Athens-Clarke County. We appreciate the hard work you do in our community and stand ready to assist should your company be ready to grow.”

The highlight of the event was the presentation of the Manufacturer of the Year Award.  Blaine Williams, Athens-Clarke County Manager, presented Mr. Todd Henry, Operations Manager of the Athens Caterpillar plant, this prestigious award for Caterpillar’s significant contributions to our local and regional economy.  Caterpillar, a manufacturer of construction equipment, began operation in Athens in 2013.

Several other local manufacturers were honored at the dinner with the Community Commitment Award for their ongoing engagement with the Athens community. SKAPS, a leader in the fabrication of geosynthetic and nonwoven drainage products for environmental and civil use, was recognized for their 10 years in Athens. Athens Research & Technology has been purifying human proteins and developing polyclonal antisera to those proteins since 1986 and thus celebrated 30 years in Athens. And finally CertainTeed, a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, is a leading North American manufacturer of building materials including roofing, vinyl siding, trim, fence, railing, decking, insulation, gypsum, and ceilings products and celebrated 40 years in Athens.

Over the years, these companies have employed hundreds of people and invested directly in the Athens economy through capital improvements and charitable donations.

The evening concluded with a keynote speech from Karl Eberle. Mr. Eberle is a well respected senior manufacturing and industrial leader/operator for the Eberle Company. For more than ten years, Mr. Eberle was a critical member of the senior leadership of Harley Davidson while the company underwent strong growth in manufacturing, sales and product development.  He shared some of his extensive manufacturing expertise.  One of the most memorable insights was offering the idea that in order to build an effective team you must recognize key leadership potential. “you have to have the right job for the right person as well as the right person for the right job,” he explained. He also emphasized that building and maintaining strong relationships at all levels is the catalyst that gets all gears going, creating the necessary forces for sustainable engagement and long term results. Mr. Eberle always made it a point to make contact with every employee every day. 

The event was hosted by the Athens-Clarke County Economic Development Department and sponsored by Georgia Power, Williams & Associates Land Planners, Therapy South, Pattillo Construction, Atlanta Gas Light, and Athens Regional Medical Center.