Posted on Friday, September 01, 2023
George Gegechkori ’10 experienced his share of obstacles while living in his home country of Georgia, but his desire to prosper in the United States keeps him pushing forward.
“The road you walk on changes, but as long as you have a clear view of your destination, you know you’re not going to lose,” he said. “That’s my motivator. Not knowing how you’re going to win is fine but knowing that you’re not going to lose is something which keeps you going.”
While Gegechkori’s business career was situated in the Republic of Georgia, his high school and undergraduate education was rooted in the United States.
Arrival in the United States
He said he first came to America in 2003 at the age of 15.
“My uncle, Dr. Alexander Gedevanishvili, who was a medical resident at Emory in 1997 and then went to Texas to finish his cardiology fellowship, suggested I come to the U.S. because the education system in the Republic of Georgia was not adequate,” he said. “I spent two years in Galveston, Texas, before moving to LaGrange, Georgia.”
After graduating from LaGrange High School in 2006, Gegechkori chose to attend LaGrange College to pursue a business degree.
“I fell in love with the college because of its small size,” he said. “You always got to engage with your professors.”
Gegechkori said he developed a close relationship with former Business Professor David Barrett.
“Professor Barrett and I ended up building an airplane together at the airport,” he said. “He still lives in LaGrange, and we get together now and then for companionship.”
Upon completing his college education in 2010, Gegechkori traveled to Belgium to earn a graduate degree in law from Ghent University.
Rising up the executive ladder in Republic of Georgia
When he finished his year-long graduate program, he returned to the country of Georgia to help with the political campaign of Bidzina Ivanishvili, a family friend.
“Ivanishvili thought it would be best for the country if he ran for political office because the existing government back then was not behaving the way they should have been,” he said. “He formed a political coalition, and I became his personal assistant, head of administration and then chief of staff when he became prime minister in 2012.”
Even after Ivanishvili retired from politics in 2013, Gegechkori continued to serve the government as the head of international relations for the Ministry of Energy in Georgia.
“I negotiated Georgia’s move to the European Union Energy Community,” he said.
After stepping down from his government job in 2015, Gegechkori became CEO for RAKIA (Ras Al Khaimah Investment Authority) Georgia and RAKEEN Development. Ras Al Khaimah is one of seven Emirates of the United Arab Emirates.
He managed various projects, including the renovation of Sheraton Grand Tbilisi Metechi Palace Hotel, which he turned into a multi-million-dollar establishment during his four-year tenure with the Emirate.
“The hotel was beautiful, but unfortunately no work had been done on it since it opened in 1991,” Gegechkori said. “When I took over as CEO, refurbishing the hotel was one of my priorities. The project, which involved completely gutting the building, was completed in the summer of 2019.”
Change of direction
After he left his executive role with the Emirate, he started working at a defense research firm, where his post was altered due to the pandemic.
“Four months after COVID-19 hit, the minister of defense restructured the entire company,” Gegechkori said. “I made a proposition to privatize the company, but it fell through.”
In the summer of 2020, he teamed up with a friend to start an entrepreneurial venture that involves repurposing the processing of manganese sulfate, a product used in electrical vehicle battery catheters.
But just as Gegechkori and his partner were beginning the fundraising phase of their project, Russia invaded Ukraine.
“The project and its fundraising stage have been halted due to the Russia-Ukraine war and regional challenges related to it,” he said.
Gegechkori looked at his setback as an opportunity to use his entrepreneurial expertise in America, his second home country.
“It was around the end of 2022, beginning of 2023, when I thought it would be good for me to come over to the United States,” he said. “If I wanted to further my entrepreneurial skills and widen my horizon, America is where I should be.”
When speaking of challenges, Gegechkori references philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche’s adage: “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
“It boils down to the fact that if you live, you exist, and if you exist, you are moving forward,” he said. “You have to move forward with time, space and every obstacle that comes your way, whether it be war, COVID or anything else which impedes your comfort. I would not be the same person today if I did not go through all the hardships I had to go through.”
Gegechkori offered this advice to future entrepreneurs.
“Stay hungry,” he said. “Any sort of desire for more will grow. Stay hungry for creation and creativity.”
Sophomore Parker Gonzalez attended an orientation meeting last week at the Troup County Board of Education to address 12 high school students who are scheduled to travel to Outward Bound in North Carolina in October. Gonzalez, along with nine other LC students experienced Outward Bound during their freshman year as members of LIFT (Leaders Inspired For Tomorrow), a leadership development initiative that equips participants with the tools to lead within the college and community.
Tuesday, Sept. 5
International Student Stories
11:15 a.m., Corn Auditorium, Lewis Library
Tuesday, Sept. 5
Robert Allen: From LC Football to Foreign Service Abroad
11:15 a.m., Dickson Assembly Room
Price Theater 2023-2024 Season
Football
The Panthers open their season in Callaway Stadium against Berry College on Saturday, Sept. 9, at 6 p.m.
Men’s Soccer
LaGrange finished 1-1 in the first two preseason scrimmages, losing to Sewanee. The Panthers start their regular season at Birmingham-Southern on Sunday, Sept. 3 at 6 p.m. On Wednesday, the team will play at home against Point University at 7 p.m.
Women's Soccer
The Panthers team went 1-1 in their two preseason scrimmages. LaGrange starts its regular season with a doubleheader this weekend in Rocky Mount, N.C. First, the team will play N.C. Wesleyan on Saturday, Sept. 2, at 4 p.m., and then against Meredith on Sunday, Sept. 3, at 2 p.m. Next week, LaGrange travels to West Point to play Point University on Thursday, Sept. 7, at 7:30 p.m.
Volleyball
LC begins its season with an action-packed week. The first match is at Fort Valley State on Friday, Sept. 1 (today), at 5 p.m. On Saturday, the team plays against Oglethorpe University at 2 p.m. Next week, the Panthers have two more games, starting with the first home match against Wesleyan College on Tuesday, Sept. 5, at 7 p.m. The final game of the week will be at Birmingham-Southern on Thursday, Sept. 7, at 8:30 p.m.
Cross Country
The Panthers begin the 2023 season at the Foothills Invitational on Friday, Sept. 1 (today), at 6:45 p.m. Next week, the team will compete in the Huntingdon Hawks Invitational on Friday, Sept. 8, at 9:30 a.m.
(Please note that schedules may change due to circumstances beyond our control. Please check www.lagrangepanthers.com to confirm.)
Friday, Sept. 1 – Volleyball at Fort Valley State, 5 p.m., Fort Valley, Georgia
Friday, Sept. 1 – Cross Country at Foothills Invitational, 6:45 p.m., Jacksonville, Alabama
Saturday, Sept. 2 – Volleyball at Oglethorpe, 2 p.m., Atlanta
Saturday, Sept. 2 – Women’s Soccer at N.C. Wesleyan, 4 p.m., Rocky Mount, North Carolina
Sunday, Sept. 3 – Women’s Soccer vs. Meredith, 2 p.m., Rocky Mount, North Carolina
Sunday, Sept. 3 – Men’s Soccer at Birmingham-Southern, 6 p.m., Birmingham, Alabama
Tuesday, Sept. 5 – Volleyball (Home) vs. Wesleyan, 7 p.m., Richter Gymnasium
Wednesday, Sept. 6 – Men’s Soccer (Home) vs. Point University, 7 p.m., Panther Field
Thursday, Sept. 7 – Women’s Soccer at Point University, 7:30 p.m., West Point, Georgia
Thursday, Sept. 7 – Volleyball at Birmingham-Southern, 8:30 p.m., Birmingham, Alabama
Category: College, Academics
Keywords: Business, Entrepreneur
