Textron Touts Culture and Opportunities During Showcase

A work culture like family and career path opportunities with industrial giant Textron was the theme of the final Business Showcase Series event.

Students packed an Allgood Hall classroom on Wed., Nov 10, to get a close-up look at Textron presented by three representatives of its Augusta headquarters.

The Augusta operation started as E-Z-GO in 1954. It became part of Textron in 1960, currently housed under the Textron Specialized Vehicles (TSV) division of the Rhode Island-based parent firm. Other brand names produced by Textron Specialized Vehicles include Arctic Cat, Jacobsen, and Cushman.

Wille Powell, Operations Supervisor and a 2015 Hull College alumnus, said he jumped at the opportunity to participate in the Showcase at his “home school.”

“The line that I run, the fleet line, we run all of the golf course vehicles. It is the bread and the butter of the company,” Powell said. “Every 90 seconds we should be pulling a car off the line.”

Powell has been with the company for 4 years and said it has a culture where his supervisors are accessible to him for questions any time during the day.

“Very [much an] open-door policy. It’s not uncommon for the vice president to know your name. Everybody is friendly and gets to know everybody else,” said Ashleigh King, HR Talent Generalist.

King said Textron is currently hiring for entry-level positions and internships, most of those positions in Augusta or Cartersville, GA, in areas such as engineering, marketing, finance, sales, and operations.

“If you choose to be an intern with us, we treat you like a part-time employee. There’s no busy work. We get you out there and assign you a mentor,” King explained.

Business Showcases are conducted approximately once a month each semester to introduce students to the culture, history, and career opportunities with local businesses.