Kia Georgia in Columbus Is a “Place To Grow a Life”
Sponsored by: Kia Georgia
The path to a rewarding career may begin right at home – just ask Mike Ware.
At 19, he developed a love for automotive work at a Volkswagen plant in Pennsylvania. When the plant closed, he entered the military and stayed in Columbus, GA, after his release from Fort Benning (now Fort Moore). When he heard Kia Georgia was coming, he was excited.
Beginning as an hourly team member, Ware’s rise with Kia was fast. Working in production control, delivering parts to the assembly line, he made team lead in six months. A year later, group leader. Then 18 months later, Ware became the first hourly worker to become an assistant manager.
The secret to his success?
“Hard work, dedication and positivity,” he says without hesitation. “Kia sees the dedication I have for this place, and it has done a lot, offered a lot of opportunities. I am grateful for what Kia Georgia has afforded.”
Ware says he enjoys his reputation as the “go-to guy,” who greets everyone with a smile and a willingness to help.
“Mike is the ultimate people person – ask anyone here,” says Patrick Sands, Kia Georgia public relations representative. “People come to him with the most random request, and he is always ‘let’s figure it out.’ It’s the Kia way – continuous improvement.”
Now Assistant Manager of Production Control, Material Handling, he and the 80 team members who report to him manage the more than 50,000 part orders that come into the plant weekly, delivering them to the line that turns out 350,000 vehicles a year.
More than a job, Kia has been “a place to grow a life,” Ware says.
“This is an awesome place to work. It will grow you. It has good salaries, good advancement and some of the best benefits in the state,” the grandfather of 13 and great-grandad of two says. “I love my job. I love what I do. I get great satisfaction seeing all these cars rolling out the door. It is a big accomplishment.”
