Meet Wil James, one of the first employees at our Georgetown, Kentucky manufacturing plant (TMMK). When Wil landed at Toyota in 1987 as a recent college graduate, he found the core values of The Toyota Way familiar. His father, Wil James Sr., had already instilled in him similar principles — challenging himself, having a long-term vision and valuing teamwork.

Since his arrival, Wil has risen through the ranks at Toyota, and in 2010 he was named president of the Georgetown plant where he first began. As a company leader — and the first African-American president of TMMK — Wil is a role model for employees across our organization, and embodies the spirit of inclusion and philosophy of respect that help make our company strong.