HENRYCOUNTY.COM M E ET J OS E PH HENNING New HCCC President and Chief Executive Officer
(McDonough, Georgia) The Henry County Chamber of Commerce has named Joseph Henning the new president and chief executive officer of the business organization. He currently serves as president and chief executive officer of the Aurora Regional Chamber of Commerce in Aurora, Illinois, a position he has held since 2005. Current chamber president and chief executive officer David Gill, who has led the organization since 2012, announced his retirement several months ago and will be working with Henning through the transition process. “Joe’s expertise and understanding of the important role a chamber plays in the growth and development of a community in terms of leadership, infrastructure and creating an inclusive, pro-business environment are the key reasons the search committee identified him as the right leader for Henry County,” according to Sharon Ponder, 2019 chair of the chamber and vice president of finance for Bennett International Group. “The chamber has a solid foundation that David, the internal team, and our membership have established over the years. The search committee and the board of directors are committed to continuing the long tradition of a strong business-focused organization.” Henning served as chair of the National Board of Trustees for the US Chamber Institute for Organization Management in 2016-17 and continues as an instructor for classes throughout the country. The Institute is renowned as the leading training program for chamber executives. He is also recognized as the catalyst behind the Aurora Regional Chamber achieving the highest award in the industry with a five-star accreditation distinction by the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation in 2012 and re-affirmed in 2017. “The Henry County Chamber position is a great opportunity for me to put my skillsets to work in a very fast-paced, growing area,” says Henning. “Georgia is known for its progressive business climate and I look forward to working with the leaders in Henry County, the region and state to build an even stronger chamber. I believe my experiences in Aurora, which is a suburb of Chicago, will match the needs well in Henry County. I look forward to becoming a part of the leadership team in the community.”
David Curry Henry County Tax Commissioner www.henrytc.org
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BUSINESS PROFILE
Summit Racing Equipment — The Performance Hub of Georgia
About Summit Racing Equipment
Enter the Summit Racing Equipment store in McDonough and you’ve stepped into the world of motor sports, a multi-billion-dollar industry in the US that consists largely of owners and athletes whose athletic abilities are based singularly on how fast their car can go. Some professionals and many hobbyists and enthusiasts account for a large share of the traffic on any given day at Summit – folks who buy, trade, swap, repair, restore and race motor vehicles, to earn bragging rights as much or more than cash winnings. The sport in its many forms is the driving force behind the thriving market at Summit – a constant flow of people coming in to buy parts that will keep their engines humming and chassis’ looking like new. “We sell fun,” says Steve Kester, Retail Store Manager for Summit, referring to his customer’s passion for the bevy of priceless classics and supercar showcases, expo’s, cruise events, and spectator entertainment scheduled weekly at Summit throughout the year. The variety of amusement draws hundreds of owners, enthusiasts, and spectators alike. The Summit held its most popular event of the year in April featuring their ongoing partnership with the Atlanta Motor Speedway, the Annual Summit Racing Equipment Atlanta Motorama. They will be showcasing the AMS Pace Car at a one of their Friday night drag racing events, May – August, and their Monday night cruise events which run through October. Steve is a collector of eight restored automobiles including a1968 green Lemans purchased new for his mom from Altanta’s old Boomershine Pontiac. “I love the sport too,” Steve understates. Standing beneath the “Swamp Rat 15” display, built by the drag racing, legendary Don Garlits, which is
Steve Kester
Tony Longshore
Retail Store Manager
Senior Manager, Order Fulfillment Center/ Facilities
Location: 20 King Mill Rd. McDonough, GA 30253
This fully restored Rod is on loan to Summit and displays on a lift in the Summit showroom.
suspended high above the expansive showroom floor, Tony Longshore, talks about the outbound and inbound call center that he manages as the Senior Manager of Order Fulfillment Center/Facilities. The operation houses over 75 employees in the same building as the retail showroom and represents the organization’s core business, a robust nationwide mail order parts delivery service. Tony is a native of Henry County and volunteers as a basketball coach at Creekside Christian Academy.
Community Involvement
Tony and Steve are proud of their back pack program providing school supplies annually for elementary school children. The program is a
The “Swamp Rat 15,” the first dragster built to successfully drive with the engine in the back, is on display high above the Summit showroom floor.
joint effort carried out by Summit and their three sister stores in Sparks, NV; Arlington, TX; and Tallmadge, OH, their corporate headerquarters. They are responsible for many of the tools used in automotive training at the Southern Crescent Technical College and at the Henry County High School Academy for Advanced Studies. And they provide sponsorship support for Henry County Police and Fire Departments in active shooter training.
Chamber Involvement
Chamber members since 2006, Tony and Steve were recently spotted at a Chamber Business Booster Luncheon and proclaimed that they are looking to become more involved.
