COOKEVILLE, TN – Tennessee Tech University is deepening its longtime partnership with Averitt, the transportation and supply-chain leader that has called Cookeville home for more than 50 years.
As one of the largest employers of Tech graduates in the region and a company known for its generous philanthropic efforts in the community, Averitt is now teaming up with the university to establish a new operations, logistics and supply chain management minor within Tech’s College of Business.
The company will provide input and support to ensure coursework reflects real-world industry dynamics and equips Tech students to meet current workforce needs. Averitt’s multipronged partnership with the university will also include internship and part-time employment opportunities for Tech students enrolled in the minor.
Tech recently hired a full-time faculty member to help launch the new program. Mick Williams joined the College of Business in August as an operations, logistics, and supply chain management lecturer. He previously led supply chain and information technology departments for a multinational pharmaceutical company. Williams holds a BS in civil engineering from Virginia Tech University and an MBA from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania.
“Tennessee Tech students are incredibly fortunate to have the expertise and involvement of an international transportation and logistics leader like Averitt right in our backyard,” said Tech President Phil Oldham. “Averitt has been a longtime friend to the university, and we are excited to deepen this partnership to help us continue to produce career-ready graduates equipped to tackle challenges and opportunities in the industry today.”
“Tennessee Tech is not just our neighbor and partner, it is also the training ground for our workforce of tomorrow,” said Gary Sasser, chairman and CEO of Averitt. “We see an important opportunity to help cultivate a generation of logistics and supply chain leaders with the talent and skills to impact our region far into the future.”
The first graduates of the operations, logistics and supply chain management minor in Tech’s College of Business are expected to graduate in spring 2025.
“Tennessee Tech and Averitt are two pillars of the Upper Cumberland and the state in their own right, and we are even stronger together,” said Tom Payne, dean of the College of Business at Tech. “On behalf of the College of Business, we are grateful to build upon the university’s decades-long partnership with Averitt to serve our students, enhance our course offerings, and meet critical industry needs.”
Averitt’s work with Tech’s College of Business is only the latest undertaking supporting the university. Among other ventures, Averitt continues to be a premier supporter of Tech athletics.
Averitt is also the namesake for the home of the Golden Eagles baseball team, the Averitt Express Baseball Complex.
Sasser previously served on the university’s foundation board and the College of Business advisory board. Learn more about the College of Business at Tech at https://www.tntech.edu/business/.
