KENNESAW, Ga. | Jun 16, 2025

Dalton city administrator Andrew Parker has witnessed firsthand rapid growth in his hometown and the surrounding region.

In his native Northwest Georgia, job growth has outpaced every other region in the state and is expected to continue over the next five years, according to projections from Georgia Power Co. By 2028, Northwest Georgia will add another 43,000 residents, see an increase of 27,000 jobs, and experience an influx of more than $9 billion in capital investment, making the area a critical player in Georgia’s economy.

As exciting as this growth is for the region and the state, it comes with some challenges, the largest of which is a steady talent pipeline.

“The businesses driving Northwest Georgia’s growth need to have access to the right talent,” said Tyler Reinagel, Kennesaw State University’s former associate vice president for economic development. “That’s where Kennesaw State comes in. We’re making sure that our students are not just prepared for today’s jobs but equipped to be leaders in tomorrow’s industries.”

Transforming Georgia’s next frontier

Parker has worked for the city of Dalton since he was a high school intern for the Public Works Department. While he dreamed of a career in music, his experience in the department and a mentor named Benny Dunn ultimately steered him toward civil engineering and Southern Polytechnic State University (SPSU).

“I wanted to do audio and lighting engineering for concerts,” said Parker, who was recently honored among KSU’s 40 Owls Under 40. “But there was something about Benny; he took me under his wing, and I decided to follow in his footsteps.”

After graduating from SPSU, Parker worked for Dunn as a project manager and nine years later succeeded his mentor as the department’s director. In 2021, he was named city administrator overseeing nearly 400 full-time employees and an annual budget of more than $46 million.  

As city administrator, Parker has worked with Dalton's business and civic leaders to transform the area, known as the “Carpet Capital of the World” due to its status as birthplace of the U.S. carpet industry.

Located along the Interstate 75 corridor, Northwest Georgia is composed of 15 counties – Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Fannin, Floyd, Gilmer, Gordon, Haralson, Murray, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, Walker, and Whitfield – and is less than three hours from several major Southeastern cities. Over the past several years, the region has seen explosive growth.

A major catalyst has been the Appalachian Regional Port in Murray County, a rail shipping facility that opened in 2018. Located just a short drive from Dalton and other Northwest Georgia communities, the facility provides a direct route to the Port of Savannah.

“Having the Appalachian Regional Port just down the road gives companies a real competitive edge,” Parker explained. “It reduces transit costs and makes locally manufactured products more competitive on the global stage. It's a game-changer for the industry.”

Building the talent pipeline

Growth throughout the region is creating a demand for a talent pool with diverse skills and expertise, Reinagel said.

In December 2024, the Department of Energy announced a $1.45 billion loan to Qcells, the country’s largest solar manufacturer, to build a supply chain facility in Cartersville. The project will create over 2,800 jobs, including about 1,200 construction jobs. According to the company, nearly half of the construction work has been awarded to local contractors, who are partnering with Kennesaw State to hire recent construction management graduates.  

In Calhoun, Mohawk Industries is focused on attracting the next generation of professionals to Northwest Georgia, which talent acquisition manager Jacqui Riggins said is critical to the company’s long-term success.

“We manufacture flooring, so most students assume that we’re looking for engineering majors, and that’s certainly true,” said Riggins, a 2020 KSU graduate. “But as a global leader in flooring with corporate offices in Calhoun, we also need employees in sales, marketing, finance, human resources, and even IT.”

Riggins’ oversees the company’s university relations team, which works to attract young talent through internships, leadership development initiatives, and early-career recruitment efforts. Since joining Mohawk in 2021, she has played an instrumental role in growing the company’s internship program, which now includes more than 100 interns from universities across the Southeast.

The company has intentionally engaged students at Kennesaw State, which has become one of its primary partner schools. Riggins and her team regularly connect with the university through career fairs, resume reviews, mock interviews, and other events. The goal of these partnerships is student success, and for many KSU graduates, this collaboration has paid off.

Addison Beidleman was one of the 17 KSU students who interned with Mohawk last year. Though she’s always had a passion for the arts, she was drawn to math and science, too. When it came time to pick a major, her practical side felt STEM fields were a better choice.

With her mother’s encouragement, however, she found KSU’s Bachelor of Arts in Textile and Surface Design program in the Geer College of the Arts. The program would become the perfect way to pursue her creative passion, while still achieving her other goals. As a bonus, one of Beidleman’s professors in the program worked in Mohawk’s design department and helped her secure an internship with the company.

“I know it sounds weird, but listening to her got me really excited about a career in flooring,” Beidleman said. “You’re working with different patterns and designs so you can be creative while making something that’s useful.”

While interning with the commercial design team, Beidleman’s design work – particularly in creating carpet for senior living spaces – was so successful that it became part of the company’s product collection. After graduating last December, she was offered a full-time position as a design associate.

Mark Page, vice president of design for Mohawk, values the connection between the company and KSU, where he serves as an advisor in the Geer College of the Arts.

"Mohawk has built a wonderful relationship with the KSU School of Art and Design and their growing textiles program," Page said. "Together, we’ve created internship and employment opportunities for student textiles and surface designers.”

Connecting academia and industry

Reinagel says that the more these companies engage with and hire Kennesaw State students, the more they are exposed to the breadth of talent, innovation, and research the university has to offer.

Graduate students in Kennesaw State’s analytics and data science program helped another giant in the flooring industry and longtime KSU supporter Shaw Industries find solutions to improve the customer experience.

“It’s beneficial for our students to work on industry projects and visit companies,” Reinagel said. “It’s equally as important for us to open our doors and invite industry leaders to visit campus, to engage with the university, its faculty researchers and students, and to see first-hand the resources available to them.”

Recently, executives from Shaw visited campus to meet with Karin Scarpinato, KSU’s vice president for research, as well as deans and faculty to discuss partnership opportunities. Students also had the chance to talk with and learn more about potential opportunities with Shaw. Similarly, the university hosted “Manufacturing Day,” where leaders from multiple industries met with researchers and other faculty and administrators to discuss trends and the challenges they are facing as they look to the future.

Leaders with companies in the northwest region have also been engaging on a more individual basis with the university. Shaila Bettadapur, Mohawk’s treasurer and vice president for corporate relations, serves as a KSU Foundation Trustee. Dalton native and successful entrepreneur Brett White serves as a member of the Kennesaw State University Athletics Association. White and his wife Lesha made a $1 million gift that supported the soon to be opened Mickey Dunn baseball stadium. He also is a partner in White Capital Group LLC, a family-owned investment company, as well as president of the White Family Foundation, which concentrates on philanthropic efforts scholarships, religion, arts, and athletics. Other executives with Northwest Georgia companies serve on several college and department industry advisory boards providing support and guidance while promoting collaborative relationships.

“As Northwest Georgia continues to grow, KSU’s role in shaping its future will only become more important by developing talent, conducting impactful research, and engaging in high-impact partnerships,” Reinagel said.

This article also appears in the current issue of Summit Magazine.

– Story by Tammy DeMel

Photos by Matt Yung and Judith Pishnery

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.