Published on August 7, 2021 by Morgan Black  
MotionIndustries 2021
Samford’s Executive Education program in Brock School of Business hosted employees from Motion for their annual Management Development Seminar, Aug. 2-6, 2021. This is the 9th year Motion has utilized Samford’s program as a part of their company’s professional development training initiative for employees.
 
Samford’s Executive Education program serves as an innovative performance partner with companies to address industrial and business needs through custom program development and delivery that has an individual and organizational impact.
 
“We have such a great collaborative relationship between Samford’s staff and faculty and our leadership,” said Billy Hamilton, Motion’s senior vice president of human resources. “Our program here at Samford is custom crafted. Everyone works together to make theoretical meet practical application so that it works for our people.”
 
The week-long seminar in Cooney Hall hosted nearly 40 mid-level Motion employees who have the potential to move into leadership, as well as those who are already in leadership roles and are likely to move into top-level jobs, such as president or vice president.
 
“These employees are the seeds that go into our workplace,” Hamilton said. “We want them to share what they’ve learned here and apply it to the people who report to them so that it’s not just the 40 people who are here, but it’s hundreds of people who are impacted by this seminar.”
 
During the week, employees engaged in sessions led by Brock School of Business faculty and adjunct faculty. Sessions addressed such as influencing and managing conflict, creating competitive advantage through strategy, marketing that drives execution, putting ethics into action, and more. The group also participated in leadership simulations and individual Myers Briggs self-evaluations.
 
For Motion, Samford’s program meets their values for professional development, which is an integral component of their company culture. Motion offers professional development programs across their organization, from entry-level staff all the way up to executives. These values even extend up into Motion’s parent company, Genuine Parts, who involve their employees in similar programs at Emory University Goizueta Business School and The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
 
“Talent development is a passion of mine, but not just me, it’s built into the culture of our business,” Hamilton said. “We’re fortunate to partner with Samford’s Executive Education program each year to host this training for our employees. It’s the crown jewel of learning and development at Motion.”
 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.