Manufacturing Excellence Program Leads to Job Placement
Manufacturing Excellence Program Leads to Job Placement
Carroll County High School Graduate Lands Job at Mohawk
June 12th, 2025
“I wouldn’t have been able to get this job without the Manufacturing Excellence program connecting me,” shared Logan Gross, an extrusion doffer at Mohawk Industries, Inc. in Hillsville, Virginia. Mr. Gross completed the 2024-25 cohort of the Twin County Manufacturing Excellence program, an initiative of the Talent Solutions division of Mount Rogers Regional Partnership. TCME provides high school seniors in the Twin County region (Carroll County, Grayson County, and the City of Galax) with first-hand experience in the world of manufacturing. During the fall semester, program participants visit manufacturers in the region, where they tour facilities, hear from management and staff about what the jobs are really like, and earn industry credentials and certifications.
Upon graduating from Carroll County High School, Mr. Gross immediately sought a job at Mohawk, leveraging the contacts he had made through the TCME program. Exchanging emails with Basil Dalton, Extrusion Manager, eventually led to Mr. Gross’s position in the department.
Mr. Gross’s story exemplifies the goals of the program. “Before, I might have seen manufacturing as sort of too dangerous, or a job that might not be a good environment, so seeing how well-kept the factory was, how everyone loved the job… I can see myself going into manufacturing,” he said.
Throughout the program, students toured Moog, Mohawk, Real Performance Machinery (RPM), Thomas Automation Management (TAM), and Turman Hardwood Flooring. They also received training in safety, personal protective equipment, micrometers, metrology, and hand tools as well as employability skills such as resume writing and project management.
Philip Altizer, Human Resources Manager for Mohawk, shared insights from the employer’s perspective. “When he came in to apply for the job and told us he’d been in the Manufacturing Excellence program, we were more interested in him than just somebody off the street. We made an extra effort to make sure he got a job.”
Mr. Altizer and Mr. Gross both endorsed the TCME program. “It really shows that there’s a path to have a good job that pays well, that has good benefits, and you can count on a paycheck every week. We’ve got people who have been here for 40 years,” shared Mr. Altizer. When asked what advice he would give to a student considering participating in the program, Mr. Gross said, “There was a lot of insight to it. The certificates are useful, I like having them on my resume. You’ve just got to be a hard worker.”
The 2025-26 cohort of the Twin County Manufacturing Excellence program will launch in September.
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MEDIA CONTACT
Morgan Herbert
Director of Marketing and Communications
Mount Rogers Regional Partnership
mherbert@wcc.vccs.edu
276-223-4858
mountrogersregion.com
