Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 7238 S G M A G A Z I N E | FA L L 2 0 1 6 B U S I N E S S + C U LT U R E 39 D ISCOVERY After graduating from Georgia Tech in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering, Clinton and Jeana, who earned a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering from Georgia Tech in 1989, took industry jobs in Salisbury, North Carolina. The couple quickly immersed themselves within their individual careers, both gaining extensive industrial expertise, as well as management skills that would become beneficial as they established their own company. A young plant manager with National Starch and Chemical Corp., Clinton was quickly climbing the corporate ladder and after a few years was in the position to relocate to Kansas City, Missouri. A native of Macon, he and Jeana, who grew up in Valdosta, decided to look at other geographical options, including Georgia. “I wanted to see what opportunities were in Georgia,” Clinton said. “Jeana’s father made a connection for me with Rusty Griffin [then president of Griffin Corporation] and we talked about different opportunities.” Six months later Griffin Corp. offered Clinton a job, and he and Jeana moved to Valdosta. The Early Years Valdosta is very different today than it was 25 years ago; there has been a lot of growth in the area. We felt like this would be a good fit for us as we started to raise a family. – Clinton Beeland “Valdosta is very different today than it was 25 years ago; there has been a lot of growth in the area,” Clinton said. “We felt like this would be a good fit for us as we started to raise a family.” Clinton began to settle into his job at Griffin, while Jeana started working at Levi Straus, first as an engineer and then assistant plant manager. The Beelands quickly became an integral part of the community. Jeana served on the Valdosta City School Board and as a member of the Wiregrass Georgia Technical College Foundation Board. Clinton is an active member of professional organizations including the Society of Chemical Manufacturers & Affiliates (SOCMA), Chemical and Specialties Management Council, and the Georgia Tech Lean Consortium Group. The Beelands are both active with Leadership Georgia and Leadership Lowndes, Christ Church Vestry, the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce and the Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority. “The job at Griffin allowed me to manage some different processes. I am a doer person. Just let me go; I don’t have to have a lot of information,” he said. “I can figure it out as I go.” COVER Clinton reflects on the experience he gained working at Griffin Corp. and considered it a time of great personal and professional growth. “Griffin had phenomenal growth, and I was managing some of what they did in manufacturing. They gave me a huge growth opportunity. I think it was also a link into what I wanted to do all along, which is run my own business,” Clinton said. “During the five years I was with Griffin, I had at least five different titles. I did sales and buying, which allowed me to make some great connections.” A Time of Reflection In 1996, Griffin Corp. was preparing for a joint venture with DuPont and Clinton found himself once again examining his career prospects. “Jeana and I were at a crossroads in our careers,” Clinton recalls. “I was 30, which is kind of a time when you start to weigh in on your options. I had a lot of energy, but I was traveling a lot, and Jeana was working. I knew something was not right and it was time to step back.” During this period of reflection, Clinton had the opportunity to work on a small project for a large multinational corporation. This company had an issue that wasn’t within Griffin’s realm to address, so Clinton took on the project, which he thought would only last a few weeks. “My brother-in-law had a building that used to be an old fish market and he wasn’t using the back,” Clinton said. “I went over one Saturday and swept out the fish scales and all kind of stuff in the back. Took two tables from my mother-in-law and that was our assembly line.” The project involved repair and assembly and included removal of plastic flashing from termite spikes and then assembling them as a monitor for termite activities. “We were basically fixing a problem,” Clinton said. “I thought it would last a month, and then we would be looking for what to do next. I figured it would be a stopgap, but it ended up going three months. I was still working for Griffin, helping them finish up some projects and deciding what was next. After completing the project, other jobs began to emerge.