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After a long and illustrious career with Toyota, Wil James still feels like he’s just getting started, which is what he told a group of about 100 students Friday at the Gatton Business and Economics Building.

As the president of the largest Toyota manufacturing plant in North America, in Georgetown, Kentucky, he still finds time to contribute to the community.

“I’m always running,” James said, describing his work ethic and hectic schedule. “I can sleep when I’m dead.”

The event, organized the Elbert C. Ray eStudio, was put on as part of National Engineering week. Tau Beta Pi and the National Society of Black Engineers also played a role in promoting the talk, which was followed by a lunch reception in the Business building.

Within the College of Engineering, eStudio provides tutoring in all forms of communication to all involved with the college, including students and faculty.

After being introduced by UK President Eli Capilouto, James, who has been president of the Georgetown plant since 2010, shared his background and a couple of critical life lessons.

Raised in a working class family in Norfolk, Virginia, James was the son of a truck driver and a nurse, and had four sisters. This meant that when it came to chores, he was expected to do the outside, more laborious tasks. 

The assignment of one of these duties led to the first life lesson that he shared with those gathered in Kincaid Auditorium. After being told by his father to cut the grass all by himself at age ten, he was disappointed by what his father told him after he had finished.

“He asked me, why didn’t you do more?” James said. “Why didn’t you rake up the grass?”

From this point on, James learned that it would always be critical to give 110 percent in everything that he did. As he describes it, he always sets the bar high, and with this top-notch level of effort, manages to over-deliver. This point hit home with Scott Luo, a mechanical engineering student who attended the event.

“As an individual, everybody should be trying their best, giving more than 100 percent to their work. That’s what I took from the talk the most,” Luo said.

After spending 18 years in supervising roles with Toyota, beginning in 1987, James spent three years in California as president of a vehicle parts plant. He was named president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc. in 2010, which is just one of three Toyota plants worldwide with a vehicle and engine plant. The Georgetown plant is a $6 billion operation, and employs more than 9,000 people.

In addition to a massive plant operation, Toyota also has a robust philanthropy organization, with James’ individual plant allocating $2.5 million per year in various charity projects.

“We don’t just want to be a car company,” James said. “We want to actually improve people’s lives, and address societal problems.”