NW Georgia Future Pros Competing In Maryland

They are one of the most successful career trainers in the Peach State. And, once again, Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) will put their future pros on the national stage as 13 Bobcats are headed to Baltimore, Maryland Thursday morning for the Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) National Competition.

Qualifying 30 students for the national championship over the past three years, GNTC hit this competition season well prepared. The Northwest Georgia college entered 15 students into the state PBL competition this past spring. Thirteen of those 15 qualified for the national event. The competition judging the business expertise of the nation’s top future professionals is held during the National Leadership Conference for PBL each summer.

Those headed to Baltimore, Maryland on Thursday, as well as the categories they will be competing in, are Alejandro Cruz-Gutierrez of Chatsworth, Georgia; Jesanyelis Gonzalez of Dalton, Georgia; Bryan Tapia of Rome, Georgia and Marvin Tomas Gaspar of Rome, Georgia (Business Ethics); Sprite Dyer of LaFayette, Georgia (Computer Concepts and Cyber Security); Thomas Scott of Adairsville, Georgia (Entrepreneurship Concepts); Cynthia Kirk of Rockmart, Georgia (Macroeconomics and Financial Concepts); Bradley Ramirez of Dalton, Georgia and Carlos Miranda of Ringgold, Georgia (Hospitality Management and Human Resource Management); Kelly Cook of Rome, Georgia; Thomas Scott of Adairsville, Georgia and Byron Campos Gomez of Calhoun, Georgia;  (Integrated Marketing Campaign); Allie Long of Ringgold, Georgia (Information Management and Management Concepts); Marvin Tomas Gaspar and Bryan Tapia (Management Analysis and Decision Making); Kimberly Glover of Rocky Face, Georgia (Management Concepts and Organizational Behavior and Leadership); Kelly Cook of Rome, Georgia (Small Business Management Plan); and Byron Campos Gomez of Calhoun, Georgia (Social Media Challenge).

On the national stage last year, GNTC’s Selena Spivey finished 8^th in the nation in Computer Animation, Elisabeth Harp finished 8^th in Networking Concepts and Ronal Bueso and Jonathan Herrera earned a top 15 finish in Business Sustainability. Colleges from the University of Alabama, to the University of Nebraska, to Georgia Northwestern Technical College went head to head in competitions testing career skill abilities in dozens of different areas of expertise.

Advisors for the award-winning PBL squad are GNTC’s Waddington, Patty Hart, and Mark Upton. PBL, along with the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), is the largest and oldest student business organization in the nation. Students will participate in more than 55 business and business-related competitive events at the NLC. This year marks the 76^th anniversary of the professional skills organizations.

GNTC offers more than 200 other programs online and on-campus. Campuses are located in Ringgold (Catoosa County Campus), Rome (Floyd County Campus), Calhoun (Gordon County Campus), Rockmart (Polk County Campus), Rock Spring (Walker County Campus), and Dalton (Whitfield Murray 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, 16,402 people benefited from GNTC’s credit and noncredit programs. With an annual credit enrollment of 7,750 students, GNTC is the largest college in Northwest Georgia. GNTC has an additional enrollment of 8,652 people through adult education, continuing education, business and industry training, and Georgia Quick Start. GNTC is a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia and an Equal Opportunity Institution.

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Don Foley Assistant Director, Marketing and PR