Cobb Young Professionals (CYP), the Cobb Chamber’s networking and development group for professionals in their 20s and 30s, named the winners of the 2021 Next Generation Award at the Chamber’s August Marquee Monday event: Allison Giddens of Win-Tech, Inc.,  and Andrew Dill, of Lockheed Martin.

CYP recognizes the county's top young professionals with the annual Next Generation Award, presented by the Credit Union of Georgia. Award winners are selected from a pool of nominees who can be admired, learned from and celebrated within the Cobb community. Nominees are in their 20s or 30s, active within their community, known for their leadership ability in the community and in their current role, and offer a unique perspective. Two winners of the Next Generation Award are named each year.

Allison Giddens, Co-President, Win-Tech, Inc.
Allison Giddens worked for small business manufacturer Win-Tech, an aerospace precision machine shop, for 14 years, before buying the company in 2020. Giddens also runs The Dave Krache Foundation, a non-profit that helps pay sports fees for local kids in need. She is actively involved in local workforce development and industry groups, including Chattahoochee Technical College Foundation Board, Georgia Department of Education’s CTAE Advisory Board, the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, and LiveSafe Resources. Giddens founded the Georgia Chapter of Women in Manufacturing and currently serves as Vice-Chair. 

Most recently, Giddens received the August 2020 “Another Level Blue Devil” recognition from Marietta High School for involving MHS students in an Advanced Manufacturing Virtual Internship (AMVI), created as a response to the pandemic and the inability to bring students on-site. In January 2021, she partnered with Parallel, Inc. and industry colleagues to bring AMVI to the neurodiverse community.

Andrew Dill, Director of Government Relations, Lockheed Martin
Andrew Dill represents Lockheed Martin to federal, state, and local officials across the Southeast. Additionally, he leads legislative and economic development efforts for Lockheed Martin’s Air Mobility and Maritime Missions (AMMM) and Integrated Fighter Group lines of business, serving as external affairs site lead for production facilities in GA, SC, FL, MS, and WV.

He previously served as Director of Federal Relations for the University of Georgia based in Washington, D.C. In that role, he served as the university’s primary liaison to Congress, federal departments and agencies, as well as higher education associations and advocacy groups. Prior to UGA, he was Manager of Operations and Policy for General Electric and is a graduate of GE’s Experienced Commercial Leadership Program (ECLP). He began his career with United States Senator Johnny Isakson in 2007.

In addition to the 2021 Next Generation Award presentation, CYP also presented a $4,000 check to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. CYP held a Charity Topgolf Tournament, presented by O’Dell, O’Neal, Hungerford, and Blanchard Attorneys at Law, earlier in the year to raise funds for the children’s hospital. For more information about Cobb Young Professionals or the Next Generation Award, contact Rebecca Chadwick at [email protected] or 770-859-2368.