Richards College of Business Joint Board of Advisors

He oversees all of the operations and supply chain management for Southwire’s wire and cable commercial teams. Adkins leads a team that focuses on accelerating growth in the company’s core wire and cable business.

Adkins joined Southwire in 1998 as director of international sales and manufacturing. He was named director of marketing in the Energy Division in 2001 and was subsequently promoted to vice president of sales and business development. In 2005, Adkins assumed the role of president of Southwire’s OEM Division. He later took the position of senior vice president of electrical distribution and retail sales and eventually was named president of the company’s electrical business. Prior to joining Southwire, Adkins worked at Corning Incorporated for 12 years in increasing levels of responsibility in diverse functional areas of engineering, operations, sales, marketing and international business development.

Adkins graduated from Virginia Tech with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and completed his MBA with a concentration in finance and international business from the Stern School at New York University. He is a member of The Rotary Club of Carrollton and the Virginia Tech Alumni Association and serves on the Affiliated Distributors (AD) Supplier Advisory Council. Adkins also currently serves on the board of advisors for the University of West Georgia’s Richards College of Business and the Board of Directors for Carroll Tomorrow. Adkins has also been active as a mentor in the New Business Venture Program at New York University, as well as Southwire's 12 for Life program. He has previously served on the board of directors of the Fulton County Education Foundation and the IMARK Manufacturing Supplier Advisory Council and the Lowe’s Corporation Supplier Advisory Council.

Adkins and his wife, Heba, currently live in Sandy Springs, Georgia and have three grown children.