Across America, GM’s impact starts with people
2026-06-30
As America celebrates 250 years of independence, it’s a moment to recognize the people whose work continues to shape the country’s future. At GM, that story is told not only through products, plants and investment, but through the people behind them.
That impact stretches from factory floors and proving grounds to design studios, dealerships and communities across the country. GM employs more people in the U.S. than any other automaker, with one in 10 American autoworkers wearing a GM badge.
A family legacy
For many employees, working at GM is part of a family legacy. Cleveland Nixon, a millwright in the paint department at Arlington Assembly in Texas, followed in his aunt’s footsteps to join the company. Drawing on a construction background and welding skills, Nixon has spent more than two decades in skilled trades at GM, installing, maintaining and repairing machinery on the production line
“It’s given me a good life,” said Nixon, 56. “I can provide for my family. It’s just been a blessing, and a lot of friends and family have been blessed with jobs through my referrals.” Today, his daughter and nephew also work at Arlington.
In Lansing, Michigan, George Bartz started at GM as a temporary employee on a referral from his stepdad, an electrician with the company. He was later hired full-time, entered GM’s apprenticeship program and trained as an electrician while also taking classes at Lansing Community College and GM’s Service Technical College. Now, in an apprenticeship coordinator role, Bartz is helping other workers build careers in the skilled trades.
“I’m still learning,” commented Bartz. “That’s what I look forward to: ‘What am I going to learn this week?’”
For Andy Guelcher, legacy is grounded in people. As dealer principal at Mohawk Chevrolet in upstate New York, he describes his job less by title than by responsibility: making sure his team has what it needs to deliver for customers and grow in their careers.
With over 160 employees at his Chevrolet and Cadillac dealerships, Guelcher and his team understand that every GM job represents a family and a local connection: "I love New York and GM’s presence here is a well-established sign of long-term commitment — not only through reinvestment in places like Tonawanda, but also through support for dealers and the communities they serve.”
Work people believe in
Opportunity extends beyond the factory floors. Heather Bobbitt, tire science R&D leader for GM Motorsports, uses data, simulation, testing and on-track learning to improve performance. One of her earliest projects as a summer intern was helping build a bespoke Chevrolet Cobalt to compete at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
“The entire event was rained out, but I had the opportunity to come back the following summer and see the car through to success,” Bobbitt said. “Our team of three women interns set a land speed record.”
For others, the work carries a deeply personal connection. “I am building people’s dream while also fulfilling my dream,” said Dennis Sayavong. Sayavong fell in love with the Corvette as a kid in Oklahoma. A birthday trip to the National Corvette Museum inspired him to take a risk and move to Bowling Green without a job lined up. After starting at a Corvette supplier, he networked his way to a temporary role in Bowling Green Assembly’s quality department. Today, he builds Corvette engines at the Performance Build Center, adding his own nameplate to the vehicles he admired as a kid.
“We all have a lot of pride,” said Sayavong. “Corvettes aren’t made anywhere else, and this is the only place where you put your nameplate on a Corvette engine where the entire world can see your work.”
GM’s footprint — and the talent behind it — also extends far beyond traditional manufacturing hubs. At the Advanced Design Pasadena Studio in Southern California, Adrian de Leon works as a motion graphics designer. There, he and his teammates look beyond current production, using design to imagine what could come next.
“Representing GM from California means bringing a perspective that is closely connected to creativity, culture, and future thinking,” commented de Leon. “It means being part of a place where new ideas are constantly taking shape, and carrying that energy into the work I do.” He credits California’s landscapes and Latino community as strong influences for his design and animation work for GM.
Beyond the plant gate and office
GM’s impact extends well beyond the workplace.
At Fort Wayne Assembly, Amy Houston has worked at GM since 1997, joining her husband, father and father-in-law as plant employees before starting her pipefitter apprenticeship a few years later. She also volunteers with Fort Wayne Trails, a local non-profit that supports pedestrian and bike trails in the area, alongside other coworkers from the plant. This year, GM is marking 40 years in Fort Wayne and is a proud supporter of Fort Wayne Trails.
In Wentzville, Missouri, where the assembly plant has been a major employer for decades, local leaders say GM’s presence is woven into the life of the community.
“GM has been a pillar in St. Charles County since the Wentzville Assembly Plant opened in 1983,” said Scott Drachnik, CEO and president of the Economic Development Council of St. Charles County. “It is one of our largest businesses and largest employers and plays an important partnership role in the community.”
Drachnik pointed to the plant’s support for the Women in Science and Engineering program, St. Charles Community College and the local United Way chapter. Those partnerships, he said, “contribute greatly to our local quality of life and help keep our community strong and growing.”
Vision for the future
A self-proclaimed “farm girl from Central Ohio,” Sherri Zeller’s passion for protecting the environment came naturally. At Toledo Propulsion Systems, she works as the environmental lead, but says she is most proud of the plant’s environmental outreach work. “Getting out into the community and showing them that GM cares about the environment, and not just production, is a huge win for the plant,” said Zeller.
For the past three years, Zeller and other teammates have worked with a special education program from a local high school on projects like building raised flower beds and insect hotels. “From installing a new pollinator garden at the east gate entrance in 2025, to overseeding the prairie areas this spring, these projects will be part of my legacy at GM Toledo,” she said.
IMAGE: OHIO IMAGE - COMING TUESDAY
Two hundred fifty years since our founding, people are what continue to build America. At GM, that means the workers, designers, engineers, dealers and community partners whose efforts create opportunity, strengthen communities, and help move the country forward. It’s a legacy GM is proud to be part of—and one our people are carrying forward every day.
As America celebrates 250 years of independence, it’s a moment to recognize the people whose work continues to shape the country’s future. At GM, that story is told not only through products, plants and investment, but through the people behind them.
That impact stretches from factory floors and proving grounds to design studios, dealerships and communities across the country. GM employs more people in the U.S. than any other automaker, with one in 10 American autoworkers wearing a GM badge.
A family legacy
For many employees, working at GM is part of a family legacy. Cleveland Nixon, a millwright in the paint department at Arlington Assembly in Texas, followed in his aunt’s footsteps to join the company. Drawing on a construction background and welding skills, Nixon has spent more than two decades in skilled trades at GM, installing, maintaining and repairing machinery on the production line.
“It’s given me a good life,” said Nixon, 56. “I can provide for my family. It’s just been a blessing, and a lot of friends and family have been blessed with jobs through my referrals.” Today, his daughter and nephew also work at Arlington.
In Lansing, Michigan, George Bartz started at GM as a temporary employee on a referral from his stepdad, an electrician with the company. He was later hired full-time, entered GM’s apprenticeship program and trained as an electrician while also taking classes at Lansing Community College and GM’s Service Technical College. Now, in an apprenticeship coordinator role, Bartz is helping other workers build careers in the skilled trades.
“I’m still learning,” commented Bartz. “That’s what I look forward to: ‘What am I going to learn this week?’”
For Andy Guelcher, legacy is grounded in people. As dealer principal at Mohawk Chevrolet in upstate New York, he describes his job less by title than by responsibility: making sure his team has what it needs to deliver for customers and grow in their careers.
With over 160 employees at his Chevrolet and Cadillac dealerships, Guelcher and his team understand that every GM job represents a family and a local connection: "I love New York and GM’s presence here is a well-established sign of long-term commitment — not only through reinvestment in places like Tonawanda, but also through support for dealers and the communities they serve.”
Work people believe in
Opportunity extends beyond the factory floors. Heather Bobbitt, tire science R&D leader for GM Motorsports, uses data, simulation, testing and on-track learning to improve performance. One of her earliest projects as a summer intern was helping build a bespoke Chevrolet Cobalt to compete at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
“The entire event was rained out, but I had the opportunity to come back the following summer and see the car through to success,” Bobbitt said. “Our team of three women interns set a land speed record.”
For others, the work carries a deeply personal connection. “I am building people’s dream while also fulfilling my dream,” said Dennis Sayavong. Sayavong fell in love with the Corvette as a kid in Oklahoma. A birthday trip to the National Corvette Museum inspired him to take a risk and move to Bowling Green without a job lined up. After starting at a Corvette supplier, he networked his way to a temporary role in Bowling Green Assembly’s quality department. Today, he builds Corvette engines at the Performance Build Center, adding his own nameplate to the vehicles he admired as a kid.
“We all have a lot of pride,” said Sayavong. “Corvettes aren’t made anywhere else, and this is the only place where you put your nameplate on a Corvette engine where the entire world can see your work.”
GM’s footprint — and the talent behind it — also extends far beyond traditional manufacturing hubs. At the Advanced Design Pasadena Studio in Southern California, Adrian de Leon works as a motion graphics designer. There, he and his teammates look beyond current production, using design to imagine what could come next.
“Representing GM from California means bringing a perspective that is closely connected to creativity, culture, and future thinking,” commented de Leon. “It means being part of a place where new ideas are constantly taking shape, and carrying that energy into the work I do.” He credits California’s landscapes and Latino community as strong influences for his design and animation work for GM.
Beyond the plant gate and office
GM’s impact extends well beyond the workplace.
At Fort Wayne Assembly, Amy Houston has worked at GM since 1997, joining her husband, father and father-in-law as plant employees before starting her pipefitter apprenticeship a few years later. She also volunteers with Fort Wayne Trails, a local non-profit that supports pedestrian and bike trails in the area, alongside other coworkers from the plant. This year, GM is marking 40 years in Fort Wayne and is a proud supporter of Fort Wayne Trails.
In Wentzville, Missouri, where the assembly plant has been a major employer for decades, local leaders say GM’s presence is woven into the life of the community.
“GM has been a pillar in St. Charles County since the Wentzville Assembly Plant opened in 1983,” said Scott Drachnik, CEO and president of the Economic Development Council of St. Charles County. “It is one of our largest businesses and largest employers and plays an important partnership role in the community.”
Drachnik pointed to the plant’s support for the Women in Science and Engineering program, St. Charles Community College and the local United Way chapter. Those partnerships, he said, “contribute greatly to our local quality of life and help keep our community strong and growing.”
Vision for the future
A self-proclaimed “farm girl from Central Ohio,” Sherri Zeller’s passion for protecting the environment came naturally. At Toledo Propulsion Systems, she works as the environmental lead, but says she is most proud of the plant’s environmental outreach work. “Getting out into the community and showing them that GM cares about the environment, and not just production, is a huge win for the plant,” said Zeller.
For the past three years, Zeller and other teammates have worked with a special education program from a local high school on projects like building raised flower beds and insect hotels. “From installing a new pollinator garden at the east gate entrance in 2025, to overseeding the prairie areas this spring, these projects will be part of my legacy at GM Toledo,” she said.
Two hundred fifty years since our founding, people are what continue to build America. At GM, that means the workers, designers, engineers, dealers and community partners whose efforts create opportunity, strengthen communities, and help move the country forward. It’s a legacy GM is proud to be part of—and one our people are carrying forward every day.
