2 GNTC Business Management Graduates Move Ahead In Their Fields



Casey Hunter graduated with an associate’s degree in May 2021 and works for Mohawk Industries.

Two men turned to Georgia Northwestern Technical College midway through their careers to deepen their knowledge of business management and pursue completely different career paths.

Originally from Acworth, Darren Goodwin took business administration classes at GNTC’s Floyd County campus in Rome and online, graduating with an associate’s degree in December 2022. He has been in the air conditioning business for his 22 years, of which his 15 years have been with Daikin his Applied.

Casey Hunter enrolled in the Business Administration Program at GNTC’s Walker County Campus in Rock Springs and graduated with an associate’s degree in May 2021.

He has been with Mohawk Industries since 1995.

“I’m a non-traditional student,” Goodwin said. “In 2018, I moved positions in the company. My manager asked if I had a college education. I encouraged him to pursue his degree.”

Goodwin said he was “very focused” on finishing his degree at GNTC and was still weighing his options as to which college to attend for his bachelor’s degree. He finds the specialized business classes he took at GNTC will help him move forward.

“The principles of leadership and team projects stand out to me as things I can use to move to the next level of my education,” he said.

Mr. Hunter’s motives for attending college were the same as Mr. Goodwin’s.

“I began to slowly move up the ladder. He started as an entry-level lift truck driver. From there, he moved on to various jobs: operator, crew leader, supervisor and production manager.

“I like doing that kind of work, and I want to continue making progress with Mohawk. A degree could open doors for me in the future.”

Hunter chose GNTC because the business management program is affordable and completely online.

Hunter, now a senior production manager, said he oversees four different processes and stockrooms. His duties include all production, quality and safety aspects of these areas.

“My coursework at GNTC taught me different management techniques and a better understanding of different aspects of being a manager,” he explained.

Mr. Goodwin moved to his current group in 2018 and was promoted to Daikin Applied America’s Technical Response Supervisor/Senior Regional Technical Analyst for Chiller Technical Response in April 2022. He described taking leadership at the regional level for his company as his “first foray” into people leading people.

“I learned a lot, mostly what not to do,” Goodwin said. “When I started studying at GNTC, I really transitioned into brainy leadership. Book knowledge goes hand in hand with my experiential knowledge. It was like sharpening a knife.”

Goodwin’s team supports field technicians working on Daikin chillers.

“I am one of 12 people supporting over 400 engineers in Japan and over 400 overseas.

Because Hunter completed his classes online, he interacted less with instructors than students taking classes on campus. Management Team Spring 2021 His Project The last project in his class put his abilities to the test. His class instructor was Graceful Beam, Vice Dean of Business, Cyber, and Public Service Technology.

“Working with other students I didn’t know and creating a business from scratch was a challenge back then,” he said.

“Casey has an unusual maturity of a student of an age, but that doesn’t set him apart from other students,” said Ms Beam, noting that he excels in his class and is happy to I added that there are “He is open to opportunities to both teach and learn from other students.”

Beam shared that Hunter’s teammates characterized Hunter as determined, encouraging, willing to help when needed, and willing to go beyond his part of the project. did.

Goodwin also commended Beam and GNTC Vice Dean and Mathematics Chair Pam Anderson for their pivotal role in his academic progress.

“Grace is a Rockstar instructor,” he said. “Pam Anderson in the General Education and Mathematics Department really helped me remember algebra early on.”

Beam said he was impressed with Goodwin’s interpersonal skills and communication skills. She noted his professionalism, friendliness, openness and attention to detail.

“Darren gave us great feedback about the class and the class from a student’s perspective,” Beam said. “He always finished his homework first, so he helped me find my mistakes in class.”

Mr. Goodwin displayed strong leadership skills in his class and was able to bring out the best in his classmates through his mentorship and leadership skills. He demonstrated his commitment to high performance. How he did his one thing, she explained, is how he did everything.

said Andrew Parlier, Chiller Technical Support Manager, Daikin Applied. “Darren has previous leadership experience and was already a strong performer within the organization.”

Mr. Goodwin was promoted to supervisor while pursuing his degree at GNTC.

“One of the considerations for that promotion was Darren’s commitment to higher education,” Parlier said. “Leaders in any organization want to promote like-minded individuals — people who care about others and have vision. It will be useful and a starting point for future opportunities.”

Hunter’s supervisors, Recycling Vice President Mark Dye and Senior Plant Manager Jimmy Tapp, said they were pleased that Hunter was recognized for his work at GNTC and said Mohawk’s Somerville management team ” A valuable and widely respected member.” team.

“It has been a pleasure to watch Casey grow both personally and professionally during his 27 years with our company. A clear complement to his technical aptitude, Casey has developed into a professional and effective leader within the Mohawk organization and Chattooga County community.”

In addition to helping him advance his career, Hunter believes his experience at GNTC has boosted his self-esteem.

“My degree gave me a sense of accomplishment just because I completed what I set out to do,” he said. I started attending , but didn’t graduate, and I’m proud to have returned and completed my associate’s degree.”

Darren Goodwin graduated from GNTC in December 2022 with an associate's degree and works for Daikin Applied.


Darren Goodwin graduated from GNTC in December 2022 with an associate’s degree and works for Daikin Applied.



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