Jun. 4—TIFTON — Coca-Cola UNITED and the Coca-Cola Company ended a statewide promotional tour by visiting one of the groups it will help.

The "Delivering the Future: The Coca-Cola System & Technical College System of Georgia Truck Tour" finished its campaign to raise awareness for the career opportunities offered by local bottling company Coca-Cola UNITED, and the various commercial truck driving programs available through the Technical College System of Georgia.

A joint effort between the Coca-Cola Company and UNITED, the tour made five stops across the state, visiting colleges in Vidalia, Macon, Savannah and Athens before heading to Tifton.

The tour acted as an accompanying event to the announcement of a $1 million donation to the Technical College System of Georgia Foundation, set to help fund the commercial truck driving programs offered by the system.

"Commercial trucking is one of the many industries for which Southern Regional Technical College offers training for the next generation of talent," said Jim Glass, the president of SRTC, a college under the banner of the TCSG. "It's also an industry that is crucial to Georgia's economy and is in need of support following the COVID-19 pandemic."

In honor of the tour reaching its conclusion, officials hosted a celebration at its final stop, the Tifton campus of Southern Regional Technical College, May 26.

Staff and students of the college and residents of the community were invited to learn about opportunities provided by both UNITED and SRTC, sample a new Coca-Cola product and listen to Mayor Julie Smith and Charlie Yawn, sales manager for UNITED, speak on the events that had brought them together that day.

"We are extremely lucky to have the opportunity to hire drivers through a world-class commercial truck driving program just like the one here at SRTC," Yawn said.

Smith expressed her appreciation and gratitude for those in attendance, proud of the community that was formed in bringing the tour and commemorative celebration together.

"One of the things that makes serving this community such a wonderful experience for me are the great partnerships and friends that we have," Smith said. "Friends and wonderful partners like Coca-Cola and Southern Regional Tech. And when great people come together for great things, this is the result."

Glass reported that SRTC will put the funds toward hiring two full-time instructors for its commercial truck driving program, and expressed his gratitude numerous times at the event for the opportunities given to his college by both Coca-Cola and UNITED.