Gov. Nathan Deal announced that Kubota Manufacturing of America Corporation and Kubota Industrial Equipment Corporation donated $1 million to the Lanier Technical College Foundation. Kubota’s donation will support the new Lanier Technical College Hall County Campus, which is scheduled to open in spring 2019.
 
“Kubota’s presence in Georgia continues to be one of our state’s great business success stories,” said Deal. “This donation demonstrates the profound interest that private companies have in the development of Georgia’s classroom-to-career pipeline. Investments in the Lanier Technical College Hall County Campus will help to create even more opportunities for the ever-increasing emphasis on technical education and workforce development. By donating $1 million to the Lanier Technical College Foundation, the Kubota group has further established itself as the standard-bearer for helping to grow an educated, trained and sustainable workforce capable of filling the jobs available today.”
 
Under Deal’s leadership and with the support of the General Assembly, the state has invested $131,270,000 for the new Lanier Technical College Hall County Campus. The 95-acre campus will include six state-of-the-art buildings where students can study a variety of fields from accounting to welding. Additionally, the new campus will be designed to serve more than 5,000 students.
 
“Kubota is a tremendous business partner of Lanier Technical College and today’s donation is a testament to their commitment to the local community and to Georgia,” said Technical College System of Georgia Commissioner Matt Arthur. “The Technical College System of Georgia provides Georgia businesses with a skilled workforce and when global companies like Kubota make investments in our colleges, it means industry values what we do.”
 
Established in 1988, KMA is headquartered in Gainesville and manufactures zero-turn mowers, sub-compact tractors and utility vehicles. Located in Jefferson, KIE manufactures tractor implements and assembles larger Kubota tractors. KMA and KIE collectively employ more than 2,600 team members in Gainesville and Jefferson.
 
Kubota’s donation is part of a $5 million campaign conducted by the Lanier Technical College Foundation to fund program needs at the new campus, including allied health equipment, computers and tools for instruction. Of that capital campaign, 75 percent of the $5 million goal has been met.
 
“Kubota Manufacturing of America and Lanier Technical College have enjoyed an outstanding business relationship for many years,” said Lanier Technical College President Dr. Ray Perren. “Words cannot express the gratitude we have for this transformative gift. Kubota’s generosity will allow thousands of students to begin their careers at Lanier Tech and change the trajectory of their lives forever. We are honored and humbled to have such remarkable support.”
 
“The whole Kubota group is delighted to be able to support the education of future generations with this contribution of one million dollars,” said Hirohiko Arai, president of KMA and KIE. “This year marks an important milestone as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Kubota here in Georgia. It is our greatest pleasure to make a contribution in supporting Georgia’s future.”