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Principals

In Memory of Dr. Sherrie Ford, Co-Owner of Power Partners, Gap Partners and Change Partners (9/7/46) - 4/18/11)

Sherrie Ford, co-owner of Power Partners, Gap Partners and Change Partners and a visionary and hands-on leader in manufacturing work culture, passed away on April 18 after a brief struggle with cancer. The head of one of the ten largest women-owned businesses in the United States, she changed the lives of workers in plants throughout the world and practiced what she preached on the floor of her own manufacturing facilities in Athens, GA, and Rabun Gap, GA.

Unassuming, but unafraid of a challenge, Ford successfully applied her Ph.D. in English to improving manufacturing operations. Ford found her calling working with manufacturing companies and their employees while working at Athens Technical Institute, now Athens Technical College. In 1991, at the college, she started the Center for Continuous Improvement, whose mission was to help companies in North Georgia develop organizational leadership and vision and adopt lean manufacturing principles.

Following the success of the Center, Ford founded Change Partners in 1996 and Steve Hollis, sharing her passion for the value of teams, joined the consulting company several months later. Change Partners helps companies improve their operations by encouraging them to embrace world-class manufacturing techniques and lean production principles.

In 2003, Ford and Hollis saved a local manufacturing plant in Athens from closing when they purchased the transformer manufacturing company that is now known as Power Partners. They purchased Gap Partners in 2008. Under Ford's guidance, Power Partners has established a substantial reputation for work place environmental sustainability and safety. Her reputation extended well beyond Athens, having served as chairman for the Association for Manufacturing Excellence 2011 International Conference.

Ford will be greatly missed walking the plant floor at Power Partners and Gap Partners, where her deep engagement as a leader and personal knowledge of her associates was a fundamental part of her and of the culture-making she practiced. She will always be remembered for her passion for her work, her intelligence and grace, and for her love of family, friends, literature and Paris.

In the Athens community, Ford supported the United Way, the Red Cross, Relay for Life, Community Connection and the Jeannette Rankin Foundation, among others. She also worked on a committee dealing with health issues for the OneAthens anti-poverty initiative.

All of us are very sad for having lost Sherrie Ford, but we are richer for having had her in our lives.

Sherrie became co-owner of a 500-employee distribution transformer factory, formerly ABB, Inc. This plant had been a culture-change client of Change Partners, LLC., when the opportunity arose to acquire the business. Responsible for fulfilling the mandates clarified in the culture assessment conducted in 2000, ensuring that Leadership, Communication and Training have viable strategies as pre-requisites for high performance. Responsible for coordinating the work of the Board of Advisors and for fulfilling the requirements for a certified woman-owned business.

Steve Hollis

... likewise provides consulting, facilitation, innovative design in change management methods, and helps tag team members in bringing out their best. He has diverse management experience, including distribution, sales and manufacturing. He is a certified trainer in coaching, feedback and performance management, systems, experienced in continuous improvement tools, projects and systems and extensive cost management and cost reduction methods. He has facilitated successful safety and quality projects in manufacturing and is skilled in Theory of Constraints (TOC) thinking tools and models. He is a member of AME and APICS and a designer / presenter of original workshops on culture change management also presenting papers and facilitating workshops in South Africa for SAPICS. He is a co-founder of the leadership circle known as the Shock Wave Riders.

Steve is also a co-owner of a 500-employee distribution transformer factory, formerly ABB, Inc. He is Chief Executive Officer responsible for fulfilling the mandates clarified in the culture assessment conducted in 2000, ensuring that Leadership, Communication and Training have viable strategies as pre-requisites for high performance.

Chris Cosper

... facilitates strategic planning, provides executive coaching, and helps tag team members in bringing out their best. Her diverse management experience includes serving as CEO for a large manufacturing company in Gainesville, GA. As a certified Gazelles International Coaching Partner, Chris is skilled in leading executive teams through a planning process that results in strategic clarity, organizational alignment, and a passion for execution. Inspired by Change Partners’ pioneering approach to work-culture advancement, Chris has coached many clients through the successful communication and implementation of their strategic plans through all levels of the organization. An experienced business executive and dedicated community leader, Chris graduated from Georgia Tech’s College of Management and went on to complete an MBA in Leadership Development and Advanced Management Studies at Brenau University. Today, Chris is dedicated to helping other companies find clarity in their business planning and company-wide involvement in its implementation.

As principals of Change Partners, L.L.C. Sherrie, Steve and Chris play interchangeable roles in marketing, sustaining existing customers, and developing new ones. Principals are ultimately accountable for the services provided by the firm.