Former IBM’er to Head New Powder Springs Tutoring Center

When Henry Lust retired after 35 years with IBM, where he assumed several different roles, he wanted to keep working while doing something that positively affects the community.

“I didn’t want to be bored,” said the 58-year-old Powder Springs resident, a member of the West Cobb and South Cobb business associations. “I wanted to do something that was entrepreneurial but with an impact, and education has always been dear to me because I came out of a poor background.”

That drive led Lust to open the Tutoring Center of Powder Springs, a 1,000-square-foot space in the shopping center at the corner of Sailors Parkway and New Macland Road.

The Cobb Chamber is set to host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the business on Thursday, June 28 at 11 a.m., followed by another ribbon-cutting by the West Cobb Business Association on Saturday, June 30 at the same time.

Before classes officially start during the second week of July, Lust will be talking to parents, signing children up, and giving diagnostic tests.

Lust went to IBM directly after graduation from Brown University with a math degree. The company brought him to Marietta in 2004, and from there, he moved to Powder Springs.

He described his family as “very Powder Springs-centric,” with two of his four children—a twin daughter and son—being in the first graduating class at , and another co-owning .

“We are focusing in on Powder Springs,” he said of his family.

Since IBM is a global company, Lust said he has seen firsthand the U.S. slip in international rankings when it comes to education.

“We keep sliding down, down, down on a regular basis,” he said. “That always bothered me.”

One factor mentioned by Lust that contributes to the decline in U.S. education is the dropout rate. “The dropout rate today is worse than it was when I was in high school.”

Lust said his program—which is centered around math, reading, writing and concentration—aims to prepare students for the next grade level so they won’t struggle to catch up later.

Though all K-12 students will be admitted, those in first through eighth grades will be the primary focus, he said. Other than occasional pre-ACT and SAT preparation, as well as help with specific math tests in school, the program isn’t test-driven but means to “improve their overall academic performance and increase their concentration and focus,” he added. 

Up to 60 students can be enrolled in the Tutoring Center program, and the facility can hold 12 of them at one time. A session lasts either two or three hours, depending on a student’s needs, Lust said.

They’ll be taught by six instructors, all of whom must have a bachelor’s degree and score 80 percent or better on an assessment test.

The hours are: 

• Monday-Thursday—2:30 to 7:30 p.m.
• Friday-Saturday—By appointment only
• Sunday—Closed

Not including the 25 percent grand opening, some of the main rates are:

Diagnostic Test: Free
Enrollment Fee: $120 a year ($60 twice a year)

First Child

• $319 per month for two visits a week
• $359 per month for three visits a week
• $279 per month for two visits a week under a one-year agreement
• $319 per month for three visits a week under a one-year agreement

Sibling Discount

• $255 per month for two visits a week
• $287 per month for three visits a week

Loyalty Discount (after first year)

• $255 per month for two visits a week
• $287 per month for three visits a week

For more information on the program, contact Lust at 770-222-7133 or henrylust@tutoringcenter.com.

Speaking on what he looks forward to most about center: “I want to see the children get beyond their grade levels. If a student comes back to me and says, ‘Mr. Lust, I got an A on my math examine when I used to get C’s and D’s,’ then I know I’ve been successful.”

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