12th Anniversary for the Georgia Manufacturing Alliance Celebrated on February 20th

Staff Report From Georgia CEO

Tuesday, February 25th, 2020

The Georgia Manufacturing Alliance (GMA) celebrated its 12 Year Anniversary on February 20th at Gwinnett Technical College in Lawrenceville. Industry leaders from around the state came to show support for GMA and its founder Jason Moss. A special presentation from Mr. Melvin Everson, Vice President / Economic Development at Gwinnett Tech recognized the accomplishments of Mr. Moss and his organization, citing that GMA provides a unique platform for our state’s manufacturing leaders to share best practices and create strategic partnerships.

“The Georgia Manufacturing Alliance began in 2008 with a core group of 16 manufacturers and service providers that saw a need to find local resources for their industry”, said Mr. Moss “They wanted to buy, sell and trade locally, but did not have the platform or resources to make the connections. Our organization is now 350 members strong representing over 110,000 employees with six chapters across the state.”

Mr. Moss shared some of the GMA Highlights from 2019 which included:

100 new members and 5 new annual sponsors – now reaching over 350 members statewide

18 Joint Industry Association of Georgia (JIAG) partners

120 plant tours, educational workshops, and networking events throughout the state

700+ attendees at the Georgia Manufacturing Summit with keynotes from Stuart Countess, CAO of KIA Motors Manufacturing Georgia and Werhner Washington, Albany Plant Manager of Procter & Gamble

5th Annual People of Manufacturing Awards

Publishing two editions of The Georgia Manufacturing Directory – The #1 resource guide for the manufacturing community

National and International Press Coverage - Atlanta Business Chronicle, Business RadioX, Cobb Business Journal, Gwinnett Daily Post, IndustrialSage, Marietta Daily Journal, Savannah News, Supply Chain NOW Radio, and Welding Journal, along with many other media sources

Proceeds from registration to GMA’s 12-Year Anniversary are going to fund a new scholarship program for students in the advanced manufacturing program at Gwinnett Tech. In addition to the scholarship program, GMA continues its support of Veterans Empowerment Organization. VEO’s Self-Sufficiency Model focuses on taking "Invisible Veterans" off the streets of our cities and placing them into a safety net of support that provides immediate and long-term housing, skills training, and work opportunities.

Added Moss, “I have never been as excited about the future for Georgia’s manufacturing community as I am today. By all accounts we are accomplishing our goal to ensure Georgia maintains its position as the most well-connected community of manufacturers in the country.”