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STC gets the keys to a Kia
0730 Kia-STC
K.S. Kim, senior vice president of KMMG, Savannah Technical College President Dr. Kathy Love, Ben Rodriguez and Ron Jackson, commissioner of the Technical College System of Georgia, show off a new Kia Sorento donated to STC.

WEST POINT—Dr. Kathy S. Love received a Kia “key to the future” during a special event held Wednesday at the Kia Georgia Training Center in West Point, when Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia Inc. (KMMG) donated 20 of the all-new Kia Sorentos to the Technical College System of Georgia. The colleges receiving the cars were chosen based on the size of enrollment in their automotive programs.

“We’re very proud to have been chosen to receive this donation,” said Love. “It will add to the quality of our instruction in our automotive technology lab. Every time students get to work with state-of-the-art equipment and technology, it enhances the training experience and improves their value in the workplace.”  

Last year, the college awarded nearly 200 associate degrees, diplomas and certificates in auto-related fields. The Automotive Technology program is led by department head and instructor Ben Rodriguez.

“KMMG deeply appreciates the support we continue to receive from the State of Georgia, Gov. Sonny Perdue, Commissioner Ron Jackson and the entire Technical College System Board of Directors,” said KMMG President and CEO Byung Mo Ahn. “The donation of these vehicles is just one expression of our deep appreciation for all that Georgia’s technical college system has done to support our success.”

“The Technical College System of Georgia has been an important partner for Kia Motors Manufacturing from the very beginning,” said K.S. Kim, senior vice president of KMMG, during the presentation ceremony. “We consider the keys to these Kia Sorentos to also be the keys to the future for technical college students across the great state of Georgia.”

Kia first announced it was going to build an automotive manufacturing facility in Georgia in 2006. The Kia Georgia Training Center, operated jointly by Kia and Georgia Quick Start, opened its doors in 2008, and since then, KMMG has hired more than 1,700 team members who began producing the best-selling, award-winning Sorento last November.

Jackson received the donation on behalf of the TCSG.

“Students across the state will have the opportunity to experience some of the most sophisticated automotive technology on the market today,” Jackson said. “KMMG’s generous donation will help prepare our graduates with the knowledge and experience to compete in the world of advanced automotive manufacturing.”