Meet the scholar from Stone Mountain who’s rewriting the rules of the production line

At the PepsiCo plant in Stone Mountain, Georgia, U.S., Anthony Eziashi is the final set of eyes before a 24-pack of Mountain Dew makes its way out into the world. And that's a very good thing.

Anthony (who goes by Tony) takes his job seriously, and he knows the production process backward and forward. When asked to describe a day on the floor, Tony lights up. Alarms buzz around him (whether they signal a problem or perfection). Tony’s on his feet, radio in hand, constantly coordinating with his team. He’s responsible for ensuring every code on every label is as it should be before a pallet stacked with product heads to the warehouse. And while his eyes and ears stay on the line, his mind is focused firmly on the people at the receiving end of the shipment.

"Don't send a bad product to the next person — that's your customer," Tony says, adamantly. Even if that person is the warehouse manager, a new trainee, or a curious journalist. "For me, the person I'm talking to is a customer. That's how I treat people."

Samantha Cleaver, a Logistics, Distribution & Transportation Manager, considers herself lucky that Tony taught her the ropes when she joined the Atlanta plant in 2020. She still remembers his friendliness and professionalism. "He took pride in ensuring all production lines operate smoothly and without interruption," she says.

Tony doesn’t just aim to get things right, he aims to elevate them. Including his own performance.

The PepsiCo visit that started it all

Tony’s PepsiCo journey started long before Atlanta, before he moved to America, or even graduated from college.

While still at school at Delta State of Nigeria, he joined a small group of students invited to Lagos, the largest city in Nigeria, to tour a Pepsi bottling facility. Walking the production line with operators and managers sparked something in him. "That's when I got my soft spot for Pepsi."

From then on, Tony knew he wanted to be part of a global company whose food and drinks were staples in his own home. It took time — and several career moves in Nigeria and the U.S. — but the impression stuck. He eventually found his way to PepsiCo and hasn’t looked back.

Tony enrolled in courses to earn forklift driver and machine operator certifications. “I read a lot and gained enough knowledge about handling machines in the production line. That was what led them to invite me for an interview," he says.

His manager quickly recognized his potential. Tony was promoted to machine operator and later stepped into a production lead role when it opened up. "That was how I started growing at PepsiCo," he says.

Above and beyond, powered by myeducation

Tony is a self-described "process improvement person," driven by an innate instinct for efficiency.

"Tony does a great job of looking deeper and striving to understand the 'why' behind our actions," says Bobby Stoglin, a Manufacturing Associate Supervisor at PepsiCo’s Stone Mountain plant. 

That mindset made him a perfect candidate when PepsiCo launched myeducation, a U.S. tuition-assistance program, in 2022. When he heard about it, he signed up for a four-month online executive supply chain course at the University of Cambridge.

He tackled the coursework with discipline and dedication, putting in two hours a day, his assignments done early. When he completed the course, his manager reminded him he could continue using the myeducation program. He completed an artificial intelligence business course at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, followed by operations management at Cornell University.

By 2023, he was considering an MBA but wasn’t sure he qualified. His manager encouraged him to apply to the University of Georgia and even wrote a recommendation letter. Two months later, he was invited to an interview and earned a slot.

Balancing in-person classes with his schedule meant coordinating closely with his manager and HR, and PepsiCo covered tuition.

In October 2025, Tony earned his MBA, plus two additional certifications. But for him, that wasn’t a finish line; it was a launchpad. He’s already setting his sights higher, with a process improvement plan he believes could deliver real, game-changing value for PepsiCo.

"I have a lot of ideas," he says. "The only way you can think outside the box is if you know how to do it the way they're doing it now and you see there's a way you can do it better." With 13 years on the floor and an MBA under his belt, Tony is uniquely suited for the challenge.

"This is a company that gave me the platform that I needed when I had nothing," he says. "Now I'm looking out for the new chapter to move ahead with PepsiCo."

This story is part of A Unique Flavor — a series spotlighting incredible people across PepsiCo with bold ambitions and standout talents.