Some of the educators on hand at the March 16th Allied Health Career Showcase give a demonstration of equipment that is used in certain allied health careers. |
Over 150 people attended the Allied Health Career Showcase held on Wednesday March 16, 2011. |
Breaking News!
New President Appointed at South Piedmont Community College
The
Board of Trustees of South
Piedmont Community College has announced the appointment
of Dr. Stanley Sidor as its next president. This
appointment is contingent upon State Board approval. South Piedmont
CC serves Anson and Union counties in the Centralina WDB region
with campuses in Polkton, Wadesboro, and Monroe.
Dr. Sidor is stepping in as President as former SPCC President Dr. John McKay retires. Sidor will assume the duties of president on Friday July 1, 2011. He comes to SPCC from Daytona State College in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Dr. Sidor has served as provost of the Advanced Technology Center Campus and associate vice president for the College of Engineering Technology and Occupational Programs at Daytona State College since 2004. He also served the college as the executive director and dean of the Advanced Technology College from 2001-2005.
Prior to his service at Daytona State College, Dr. Sidor served as the director of Industry and Workforce Training/regional director of the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center at Northwestern Michigan College from 1989-2001. Dr. Sidor received bachelor’s degrees in environment science-sociology and business administration from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Mich. He earned a master’s degree in manufacturing administration from Western Michigan University and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Central Florida.
The Centralina Workforce Development Board welcomes Dr. Sidor and wife Michele to South Piedmont CC as they begin the transition from Florida to North Carolina.
Dr. Stanley Sidor is the new President of South Piedmont Community College. |
Leading by Example
Stanly County Community College Offers Leadership Training for Staff
Stanly
Community College (SCC) is dedicated to empowering
its faculty and staff with new and innovative approaches in leadership.
Recently, key personnel were chosen to study leadership theories and procedures that apply in the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) through a leadership training program developed by SCC. The program teaches analytical and communication skills necessary to be an effective leader, how to best utilize limited resources, how community college procedures and policies are implemented, creative thinking, and tactical decision making. The program concluded with a trip to Raleigh where staff learned more about the legislative process.
“Leadership is a quality that varies with each individual,” notes SCC president, Dr. Michael Taylor. “Effective leadership takes hard work and tolerance from many different parties. Our mission is to have the best leadership team in place, one that is ready to face the challenges and complex opportunities ahead of us.”
Dr. Tanya Davis, Vice President of Continuing Education and the Crutchfield Education Center, collaborated with Dr. Jana Ulrich, Director of Learning Technologies, to create a leadership program specifically for the community college environment.
“We noticed many employees were unsure of how some of the essentials worked within the NCCCS,” explained Dr. Davis. “There is so much to learn about the community college system, whether it’s regarding the Datatel software, or the procedures for the administrative code, our employees wanted to better understand the functionality of the system. Comprehending a complex organization can be difficult for some individuals at times and make it harder for one to accomplish a task. This training helps individuals understand how the community college architecture functions and what role Stanly Community College plays within that structure,” adds Davis.
The Centralina Workforce Development Board is a strong partner with the Stanly Community College and is proud to see a partner striving to offer leadership for their staff and for the community. For more information on this training or on the Centralina Workforce Development Board, please contact Emily Clamp at (704) 348-2732 or by e-mail at eclamp@centralina.org.
Pictured above, front row: Dr. Scott Ralls, President of the North Carolina Community College System, Dr. Jana Ulrich, Dr. Tanya Davis, and Dr. Michael Taylor. Second row: Erica Tucker, Bookstore/Business Office for the Crutchfield Campus; Cynthia Smith, Accounts Receivable/Financial Aid Technician for the Business Office; Wanda Frick, Assistant to Director of Facility Services; and Janet Sistare, Director/SCC Foundation. Third row: Jennifer Hatley, Director of Eagle’s 1-Stop; Dustin Poplin, Datatel Specialist/Learning Technologist; and Juanita Wilder, Registrar/Continuing Education Records and Registration. Fourth row: Lee Montrose, UNIX System Administrator; Joshua Griffin, Global Education Liaison/Spanish Lab Coordinator; and Lukas Smith, Recruiter/Job Placement Coordinator |
Building a Better Future for the Community
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Releases 2011-2014 Strategic Plan
Several
months of meetings between Rowan-Cabarrus
Community College officials and leaders from local
businesses, municipalities and a variety of community groups has
culminated in the college’s 2011-14 strategic plan.
Rowan-Cabarrus CC Board of Trustees member Clyde Higgs said the plan, which focuses on preparing students for 21st century careers and cultivating a strong community partnership, is very forward thinking. “They are obviously not just looking at their status today, but how they can be effective three years from now,” he said. “Sometimes I think organizations tend to focus on what’s ailing them right now as opposed to how to position themselves for success in the future.”
RCCC
President Carol Spalding touts the plan’s
goal to increase completion rates as a key component as the college
prepares for the future. “The college will use many resources
to help students finish their education in preparation for the workforce
or transfer,” she said.
Higgs said the initiative to get more students to earn degrees, diplomas and certifications caught his attention. “I was intrigued by it because there are so many people across the nation who have started college and didn’t finish,” he said. “This is a new concept of the community college being a place to help piece those courses together.”
Spalding said the plan also focuses on “sustainable futures” by enhancing current programs and developing new ones to prepare students for both existing and emerging careers.
RCCC Foundation member Katrina King, chief nursing officer at Rowan Regional Medical Center, said as the effects of health care reform unfold within the industry she’s glad to know the hospital has a strong ally in the college. “Dr. Spalding has been very proactive in partnering with us to understand what we’re going to need in moving forward in the next couple of years,” said.
Higgs, vice president of business development for the N.C. Research Campus, said the plan’s goal to serve as a catalyst for community advancement was also appealing. “(The college) is a community asset,” he said. “And the idea of positioning it as a preferred partner for business and industry really resonated with me.”
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College’s 2011-14 Strategic Plan includes specific goals for the next three years which are:
- Prepare students for 21st Century careers and opportunities that stimulate sustainable economic and workforce development;
- Produce exceptional learning that demonstrates academic excellence and student success;
- Provide excellent service delivery for current and prospective students to advance achievement;
- Acquire, develop, and manage human, fiscal and infrastructure resources essential to the development and delivery of high-quality education and service.
- Serve as a catalyst for advancing the community.
The Centralina Workforce Development Board is proud to partner with Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. In fact, Centralina WDB Executive Director David Hollars participated in several of the planning/focus group meetings involving the development of the strategic plan. The Board congratulates the college on setting new goals for the community and their students. For more information on the RCCC strategic plan or information on the Centralina Workforce Development Board, please contact Emily Clamp at (704) 348-2732 or by e-mail at eclamp@centralina.org.
Right on Target!
Mitchell Community College’s New Classroom Building in Mooresville Remains on Schedule
Exactly
one year after Mitchell
Community College’s (MCC) formal groundbreaking
on a $5 million classroom addition in Mooresville (Iredell County),
construction remains on target for a May completion, officials say.
“The building is starting to take shape,” said Brett Fansler, Dean of the MCC Mooresville Center. “There is some exterior finishing being completed, such as laying concrete and landscaping. The interior of the building is reaching the final stages and flooring should begin next week.”
The 30,000-square-foot building was originally scheduled to be completed by late 2009 but design changes and new wastewater runoff requirements of the town delayed groundbreaking until last March.
The
impressive $5 million facility on the corner of Academy Street and
Iredell Avenue is the third expansion to the fast-growing Mooresville
campus since it began serving students in 1984. A 2003 expansion
added seven classrooms and an updated reception area to the site,
which has experienced about 40 percent increase in enrollment over
the last three years.
Fansler called the current project a “fairly smooth” one, and we don’t anticipate any surprises.” The new building will include two science labs, a cyber café, 12 staff offices and a multi-purpose auditorium/classroom. “We hope to have the keys to building by May if all goes well and move into the building in the summer,” he said.
Furnishing the building will begin in the summer and additional instruction technology will be added to the classrooms. “We want to make it as state of the art as possible,” Fansler said. Fansler said the news classrooms will allow MCC to seat another 1,000 students. “We’re very excited,” he said. “It’s going to be an excellent building and will allow the center to grow.”
The
expansion project is being funded several ways. The late Grady Shoe,
longtime owner of Mooresville Ford Mercury, donated $50,000. Then
a $250,000 gift in 2007 came from the Lowe’s Charitable and
Educational Foundation. The brunt of the cost, however, is being
borne by a construction grant from the N.C. Community College System
and a 2005 education bond referendum in Iredell County.
College and town officials have said they are excited about the new architectural presence the building will bring.
“It’s a beautiful building that will add to the landscape and we’re proud to offer it to the town,” Fansler said. “The final product will be really special.” Classes are expected to be held in the new building for the fall semester
The Centralina Workforce Development Board is a proud partner of Mitchell Community College and is excited to see them grow and expand to serve the ever growing education population. For more information on this expansion or on the Centralina Workforce Development Board, please contact Emily Clamp at (704) 348-2732 or by e-mail at eclamp@centralina.org.
|
$57 Million More Invested and More Jobs CreatedCelgard Announces Further Expansion of Operations in Concord
“We are very encouraged by the early success of the initial lithium-based EDVs launched into the marketplace, as well as the rapidly increasing number of programs in which we are actively participating,” said Celgard CEO Robert Toth. The additional $65 million investment does not come with economic incentives from the city of Concord or Cabarrus County, the company and local officials said. Celgard, based in south Charlotte, announced it would expand its operations to Concord in January 2010, after heavy recruiting from local and state leaders, including Governor Bev Perdue. The initial expansion came after the US Department of Energy gave the company a $49.2 million grant in 2009, as part of the stimulus package.
There was a certified site – 22 acres – in the International Business Park ready to build on, said Concord Mayor Scott Padgett, one of the reasons why Celgard came to Concord. The other reason was the cooperation between officials, and the speed at which they moved to recruit Celgard. “You’ve got to plant the seed before you can get the harvest,” Padgett said. “I assumed because it was green and cutting edge, it would grow, but it’s growing faster than I thought.” City and County leaders worked together to develop an economic development incentive package that gave Celgard about $700,000 in cash upfront for site development work, plus tax incentives. Celgard is close to completing its 150,000 square-foot building at the International Business Park (located at Exit 55 off Interstate 85) in Concord and is expected to move machinery and workers by the end of the year, said Celgard spokeswoman Holli Hughes. Please continue to look to the Centralina Workforce Development Board’s monthly E-Newsletter for updates on this exciting development in our region! |
Celgard
Celgard
eyed states like South Carolina to open a new plant because
of it slow tax rate and available land. Local officials worked
with the NC Commerce Department and federal representatives
to convince Celgard to stay in North Carolina and expand to
Concord.
Dennis Emo of VT LeeBoy, Jeanette Hovis of Robert Bosch Tool Corporation and Gary Dellinger of Dellinger Post, Inc hold the plaques celebrating their companies' longevity in Lincoln County during Thursday's 2011 LEDA Milestone Achievement Award Ceremony. |
Carolinas HealthCare System Gets Approval for $57M Expansion at CMC-Union in Monroe
Carolinas HealthCare System has received conditional approval from NC regulators for a $57 million expansion of its hospital in Monroe (Union County). The Charlotte-based health-care system is seeking 25 additional acute-care beds for CMC-Union, which would increase its bed total to 182. It is also licensed for 70 skilled-nursing beds and operates a mental-health facility with 20 licensed beds. The health-care system has operated the hospital since 1995.
The
project calls for more than 87,000 square feet of new construction
and renovations totaling 22,550 square feet. Plans call for
construction of a new bed tower attached to the existing hospital.
The tower would house women’s services and provide space
for support services.
The project also would include a new main entrance, an expanded lobby, additional parking and relocation of the helipad. In addition, the front of the hospital will receive a new, modern glass facade. The project is slated for completion in 2015.
“Over the years, we have expanded and renovated our facilities, but never have we done anything of this magnitude in Union County,” says Michael Lutes, president of CMC-Union. “This expansion will allow us to improve the quality of care we provide and offer our patients the best service possible in a modern and comfortable environment.”
Last year, Carolinas HealthCare filed a petition with state regulators to include the additional beds in the 2010 N.C. Medical Facilities Plan. The beds are critical to meet the county’s fast-growing population, the petition stated. Each year, the medical-facilities plan identifies the need for additional acute-care beds and other resources, using a statewide growth formula.
N.C.
law requires health-care providers to obtain a certificate
of need before building or expanding health facilities or
undertaking new services. The law is intended to reduce unnecessary
increases in health-care costs by eliminating duplication.
Carolinas HealthCare’s project also would include an expansion of the hospital’s cooling towers, generator and chiller building.
CMC-Union is part of Carolinas HealthCare System, which owns leases or manages 33 hospitals in the Carolinas. The Charlotte-based health-care system employs some 1,400 physicians and serves patients at more than 500 locations including physician practices, nursing homes, surgical and rehabilitation centers, home health agencies and other facilities. CMC-Union and its leaders are also strong partners in the Competitive Workforce Alliance Allied Health Regional Skills Partnership (RSP). CMC-Union is the pilot program for RSP’s Career Pathways project.
Please continue to look to the Centralina Workforce Development Board’s monthly E-Newsletter for updates on this exciting development in our region!
Leading the Nation - Again!
Statesville-Mooresville Recognized by Site Selection Magazine As Top Micropolitan Area for 7th Year in a Row
In its annual “Governor’s Cup” issue, Site Selection magazine announced the top micropolitan areas for new and expanding industry. For the seventh consecutive year, Statesville-Mooresville (Iredell County) has finished in either first or second; this year placing second to Lexington-Thomasville, North Carolina. Statesville-Mooresville finished the year with 17 qualifying projects.
In order to qualify, a new or expanding industry project must meet one of three criteria; capital investment of at least $1 million, creation of 50 or more new jobs, or new construction of at least 20,000 square feet.
Chairman
of the Greater
Statesville Development Corporation Board of
Directors, Dr. Steve Binder, commented on
the news. “Clearly our goal is to be #1 every year,
but in the bigger picture it’s our consistent performance
year-after-year that sets Statesville-Mooresville apart. This
will mark the seventh consecutive year that we have either
#1 or #2 and that’s pretty remarkable.”
Micropolitan areas are defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as a rural county whose largest city does not exceed a population of 50,000. The U.S. has a total of 576 micropolitan areas.
According to Site Selection magazine, the majority of the community’s capital investment projects in 2010 were the result of existing industry expansions.
Please continue to look to the Centralina Workforce Development
Board’s monthly E-Newsletter for updates on this exciting
development in our region!
It’s Not Like It’s Rocket Science, Oh Wait…It is!
Corvid Technologies Growth in Mooresville Continues Skyward
Corvid
Technologies, a Mooresville (Iredell County)
defense contractor is in the midst of a growth spurt that
has seen the company soar from $1 million a year in revenue
in 2004 to $10 million last year. The company has also grown
from one employee to 40 in seven years. Mean pay is around
$100,000 a year and the oldest employee is in his mid-40s.
Right
now President David Robinson is looking for
nine new employees, a third of whom will have PhDs in engineering
and the physical sciences. “How fast we’ve grown
is a surprise,” Robinson said. “It’s been
a struggle to keep up.”
One-third of Corvid’s 40 employees are PhDs. The engineering services firm sits in 20,000 square feet of space in a business park dominated by the motorsports community, although only 10 percent of Corvid’s business is related to auto racing. Companies like Corvid are usually within a mile or two of the Beltway around Washington, D.C.
Corvid blows things up, virtually, among other endeavors associated with the development and application of high fidelity computational physics. The company’s principal physical asset is a super computer with 4,000 micro-processors. It can duplicate the effects of a massive explosion between missiles or the rush of air over a wing or fin at rocket speeds.
Virtual testing is considerably cheaper than blowing up a rocket in real time, which can cost upward of $100 million. Think Star Wars.
The Corvid super computer can simulate when two missiles collide at a speed of 10-15 kilometers per second. That kind of a test costs tens of thousands of dollars at Corvid, not $100 million. It all comes under the nomenclature of Computational hydro structural mechanics. Corvid can also model out what could happen if a terrorist tries to blow up a weapons system that’s being transported via interstate highway.
Corvid performs research for the Department of Defense (DOD), the Missile Defense Agency, the Air Force Special Operations Command and the U.S. Army.
Yes, they do rocket science in Race City, USA. Ninety percent of the company’s work is with the U.S. Government.
There aren’t very many other DOD or DOE contractors here, but Robinson is able to recruit highly technical personnel partly because of the proximity of Lake Norman to major academic research institutions like University of Virginia, Duke, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and North Carolina State University, where Robinson got an undergraduate degree, a masters degree and his PhD in aerospace engineering.
Robinson said Corvid provides an interesting option for engineering whizzes who would otherwise go to work for the huge government contractors like Boeing or defense sub-contractors around the Beltway in Washington.
Robinson said he was a middling to good student growing up in Greensboro where his father was a neurosurgeon and his mom had a master’s degree in English Literature from UNC-Greensboro. He delivered pizzas for extra money, worked for a mechanic and graduated with around a 3.0 grade point average. He went to NC State and majored in physics because it was “the easiest thing to get into,” before switching to computer science, and then aerospace engineering.
His job as Corvid’s president is only his second after earning his doctorate from NC State in 1998. His first was “weapons lethality and effectiveness” at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Va. Five years later he started Corvid Technologies with the help of Jim Miller, a Chicago investor who has had a number of successful business ventures.
Corvid has no debt; all the growth has been self-financed, Robinson said. About 10 percent of the company’s work is associated with automobiles and racing. Corvid works on aerodynamics for General Motors, which hires the company for three-year stretches at a time.
Corvid takes a racing Corvette and hones the aerodynamics under the car, all the while keeping the shape Corvette-like. GM also pays Corvid to provide research support for the race teams it sponsors, including Hendrick Motorsports, Stewart-Haas Racing and Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. Six of Corvid’s 40 people are devoted to motorsports research.
Corvid’s employees may not be brain surgeons, but some are rocket scientists and all of them are smart as heck. Joe Harmon, a graduate student at NC State, has won international fame for designing and building a 240-mph super car almost entirely out of wood. Robinson hired him.
Robinson is surrounded by a brain trust, but he seems to do OK. “I’m a technical person who’s been forced into management,” he said. Is he a talented manager? “I don’t particularly think so, but we seem to be doing well.”
Please continue to look to the Centralina Workforce Development Board’s monthly E-Newsletter for updates on this exciting development in our region!
Possible Economic Boost Coming Down the Line?
Rail Revival for Lincoln County Industrial Park
The long-dormant Carolina & North-Western Railway line may get new life connecting the fast-growing Lincoln County Industrial Park in Lincolnton with a major Norfolk Southern Corporation main line.
The project — pushed by a Hickory railroad enthusiast and the owner of an unidentified N.C. short-line rail company — would need the support the N.C. Department of Transportation, which owns the 10-mile stretch of rail.
“It would help boost the economy in the area,” says Thomas Raper, a Hickory Fire Department fire educator, who has helped spark interest in the line’s renewal. “Lincoln County is interested in helping to make it work and using it to attract industry to the park.”
Kara
Brown, Existing Business Manager at the Lincoln
Economic Development Association, says a resurrected
C&NW could work only if the tenants of the industrial
park plan to use its services. “It has to be viable,”
she says.
The business park is home to American Tire Distributors, Cataler, RSI, Sabó USA Inc., Lucky Country Gourmet Licorice and other facilities.
The efforts are in their initial stages and a cost estimate for the project is not complete, planners say. Initially, the rail line would stop short of the industrial park. Raper says a train-to-truck transfer yard would be built to truck supplies and products to and from the park. Later, spur lines could be extended into the park if difficulties with the terrain can be overcome, Raper says.
Raper initiated the idea of bringing the C&NW back to life. “I’ve been interested in trains my entire life,” he says. On his website, Raper has posted more than 50 photos of locomotives, train cars and depots in the Carolinas.
It’s the second short-line railroad in the Charlotte region that has attracted interest. The revival of the Piedmont & Northern Railway in Gaston County is nearly complete. Freight could be shipped along that line as soon as the summer after a three-year effort.
“We are excited about it,” says Wayne August, vice president of corporate development for Patriot Rail Corporation, which has a contract with N.C. DOT to operate the 13-mile line. “We have been successful in attracting new customers to the line.”
So far, four miles of the P&N have been restored. The N.C. DOT expects to complete work on the remaining nine miles by this summer.
In Lincoln County, the history of C&NW can be traced to the founding of the Kings Mountain Railroad in 1855. It ran from Chester to York before the Union Army uprooted the narrow-gauge tracks during the Civil War. The rail lines were reconstructed as a part of the Chester and Lenoir Narrow Gauge Railroad in the 1870s. At one point in the early 20th century, the line stretched 150 miles from Chester to north of Lenoir. After the line was converted to standard gauge track in 1902, C&NW trains shipped cotton, furniture and lumber from the Appalachian Mountains to the S.C. Piedmont.
“What it carried depended on the region it served,” Raper says. “In this area, it was furniture.”
Please continue to look to the Centralina Workforce Development Board’s monthly E-Newsletter for updates on this exciting development in our region!
Proponents say the unused Carolina & North-Western Railway line could spur economic growth by connecting Lincoln County Industrial Park with a major rail line. |
Community Hard Work Recognized
Cabarrus County Cited as Model by Carolina Farm Stewardship Association
Cabarrus
County recently was cited as a model county and
was named Institution of the Year by the Carolina
Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA). This recognition
is an acknowledgement of Cabarrus County’s innovative
approaches to encouraging sustainable agriculture.
“Cabarrus County is a model for how other counties can help their communities by helping their farmers to produce the food people want to eat and protecting our food sources,” CFSA Executive Director Roland McReynolds stated.
The
county has implemented a variety of policies designed to curb
water and energy usage as well as to improve air quality.
The Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners also has made a
marked commitment to developing a local, sustainable food
system.
Cabarrus County has been hit hard in recent years by the prevalence of diet related illness, sprawling suburban development and the loss of historically profitable manufacturing facilities. The county is introducing new measures for community sustainability, including a farm incubator program, creation of the Local Food Policy Council, support for a livestock processing facility, engagement with the state to promote the upcoming meat conference and other measures.
Cabarrus County received the award at the 25th annual Sustainable Agriculture Conference in Winston-Salem, a regional gathering of more than 800 sustainable farmers, agriculture advocates, educators and experts. The Carolina Farm Stewardship Association was formed in 1976 to help people in the Carolinas to eat and grow local organic food.
Please continue to look to the Centralina Workforce Development
Board’s monthly E-Newsletter for updates on this exciting
development in our region!
Moving Closer to the Action!
Cabarrus County Convention and Visitors Bureau is Moving Closer to County’s Big Tourism Draws
The Cabarrus County Convention and Visitors Bureau is moving out of the building it has shared with the Cabarrus Regional Chamber for 10 years. Within three months, the bureau will relocate to space at the Interstate 85 exit that leads to both the Charlotte Motor Speedway and Concord Mills mall.
Donna Carpenter, Executive Director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, says the idea is to be closer to the county’s big two tourism destinations. “By relocating our offices and visitor information center to the county’s most densely trafficked district, we become more visible and accessible to visitors.”
The agency will lease about 5,000 square feet in the Kings Grant Shopping Center, across the street from Concord Mills. It is leaving 3,500 square feet in the chamber building on Dale Earnhardt Boulevard.
Please continue to look to the Centralina Workforce Development Board’s monthly E-Newsletter for updates on this exciting development in our region!
Want Your Business to Grow? Then, Let Us Know!
Complete the Centralina WDB Employer Survey
Each month, the Centralina Workforce Development Board holds a drawing from Business Surveys that area businesses have completed and posted on our website. The Centralina WDB uses this as a tool to reach out to businesses throughout the region, much like your own to find out how we can assist them in this economy.
We encourage all businesses, large and small to participate in this wonderful survey and to give us some feedback on what is going on for your business and our community! By completing the survey not only do you have a chance to voice your opinion but you will also be entered into a monthly drawing for free goodies from the Centralina Workforce Development Board!
If you haven’t completed the survey, you can do so now by logging onto our website. It only takes a couple of minutes and by completing the survey, it will guarantee your entry into our next drawing. For more information on the Centralina Workforce Development Employer Survey and the business services available through the Board and our local JobLink Career Centers, please contact Vail Carter at (704) 348-2710 or by e-mail at vcarter@centralina.org.
| January
2011 (Source: NC Employment Security Commission) |
||
| County | Unemployment
Rate |
Persons
Employed |
| Anson | 14.0% |
8,405 |
| Cabarrus | 11.0% |
73,808 |
| Iredell | 11.5% |
68,861 |
| Lincoln | 12.1% |
33,285 |
| Rowan | 12.0% |
60,479 |
| Stanly | 11.8% |
26,193 |
| Union | 9.7% |
83,872 |
| Centralina WDB Region | 11.2% |
354,903 |
| State of NC | 9.8% |
4,024,540 |
For more information on employment, click here
Centralina Workforce Development Board Helping Local Businesses Thrive in Today’s Economy
Incumbent Worker Funds Awarded – More Funding Available – Read On!!
The Centralina Workforce Development Board is proud to recognize
the two (2) area businesses that have applied for funding under
the second round of the Incumbent Workforce Development Program
for 2010-2011. These grants will provide a total of $46,530 in economic
development investment with local companies and will provide new
skills training to 54 employees.
The Centralina Workforce Development Board approved these grants
with funding provided by the North Carolina Department of Commerce
Commission on Workforce Development. Each employer is receiving
the funds to help upgrade the skills of their current workforce.
We thank the companies, the training providers, and the employees
for their willingness to build a stronger workforce and business
environment in our region.
QEMS Inc. – Monroe (Union County)
QEMS
is a contract manufacturer of printed circuit boards.
The company plans to train and certify 11 manufacturing employees
as Inspection and Rework Specialists for electronic assemblies and
circuit boards. Circuit Technologies, Inc. of Holly Springs, N.C.
will provide training designed to improve quality, cut waste and
improve productivity. The company also plans to offer computer software
training for 19 employees. Designed to improve purchasing and production
systems, the ManEx computer software training will be provided by
Advanced Business Advisors of Westborough, Maine. QEMS,
Inc. will be receiving $ 21,800 in Incumbent Workforce Development
funds through a contract with the Centralina WDB, based on the grant
awarded March 11, 2011.
Hendrick Motorsports Holding, LP - Concord (Cabarrus County)
Hendrick
Motorsports operates four full time NASCAR Sprint Cup
race teams. The company plans to provide computer skills training
for 30 employees. The training is focused at improving access to
documents through the computer server, learning how to troubleshoot
and perform maintenance on the server and manage and create data
using web based servers. The instructor-led training will be delivered
by Knowledge Quest Education of Tampa, Florida. All students successfully
completing the instruction will have the skills to become Cisco
Certified Network Associates, Microsoft SharePoint Certified and
qualified to take the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist
exam in BizTalk. Hendrick Motorsports Holding, LP will be
receiving $24,730 in Incumbent Workforce Development funds through
a contract with the Centralina WDB, based on the grant awarded March
11, 2011.
The Incumbent Workforce Development training is designed to upgrade employees' skills and increase companies' competitiveness in the global marketplace.
The last round for funding for this fiscal year is now open but will close on Friday May 20, 2011. The maximum amount of funds available per business is $25,000. Since the grants are competitive, local businesses are encouraged to submit their applications as soon as possible.
The Centralina WDB looks forward to working with new local businesses to submit applications, as well as, past companies who want to resubmit from previous periods. For more information and to review the NEW Incumbent Worker guidelines and application, please visit the Centralina WDB website or contact Vail Carter, Centralina WDB Business Services Coordinator at (704) 348-2710.
Preparing in advance for your grant submission is always best. Vail Carter is preparing two upcoming Incumbent Workforce Development Program grant application workshops that will be held in April. They are open to anyone interested in applying for the grant and it will give them a chance to ask questions and get help one-on-one from Vail.
The first workshop will be held on Friday April 8, 2011 at Stanly Community College at their Crutchfield Campus in Locust. The workshop will begin at 9:30 AM with an orientation followed by details on completing competitive applications. All activities will conclude by 12:00 PM. If you want to attend this extremely helpful workshop please contact Vail Carter directly at (704) 348-2710 or by email at vcarter@centralina.org.
The second workshop will be held on Friday April 15, 2011 at Mitchell Community College in Mooresville in Room 130. The workshop will begin at 9:30 AM with an orientation followed by details on completing competitive applications. All activities will conclude by 12:00 PM. If you want to attend this extremely helpful workshop please contact Vail Carter directly at (704) 348-2710 or by email at vcarter@centralina.org.
Please contact Vail prior to submitting your application to the Board. Vail is available to assist your company in completing the application and getting it to the Board for review prior to May 20, 2011. So don’t delay, submit your application today.
E3: North Carolina – Launch of a New Season of Strength for our Manufacturers
City of Monroe Economic Development, Centralina WDB, and Local Partners Get the Ball Rolling
On Wednesday
March 2, 2011, the Monroe E3 Team kick-off meeting was held at South
Piedmont Community College in Monroe. The meeting was led by Phil
Mintz and Anna Mangum from NC State University-Industrial
Extension Service. Leading the Monroe local team is Chris
Plate and Ron Mahle from Monroe
Economic Development. Centralina WDB Executive
Director David Hollars and WDB Business Services Coordinator Vail
Carter participated along with representatives from South
Piedmont CC, the Small Business Technology Development Center (STDC),
NC Department of Commerce, and Duke Energy.
This meeting was the local follow-up to the statewide launch of the E3: North Carolina program for manufacturers which was held in December 2010. There has been E3 activity in the state for about a year now through pilot programs. However, the statewide launch served to highlight the rapidly growing support for this unique effort.
E3 is short for Economy, Energy, and Environment. Sustainability is the primary theme that serves as the foundation of commitment between E3 partners. The goal of E3 is to foster the concept of the triple bottom line with North Carolina manufacturers. This means helping companies move focus equally between their economic growth, environmental stewardship, and social equity (i.e. profit, planet, and people).
E3
communities are now sprouting up all across our great state, and
E3 manufacturing partners are identifying opportunities to become
more productive, reduce the use and cost of energy, and optimizing
the management of their environmental waste streams. E3 involves
a community coalition of local leaders in business and economic
development, manufacturing partners and manufacturing contributors.
The local coalition then leverages the many existing programs at
the federal and state level along with incentives from regional
groups including local utilities in a way that provides optimum
targeted benefit to the manufacturing base of the E3 community.
Best practices in manufacturing profitability, environmental responsibility,
and workforce development are developed and shared through community
E3 Sustainability Council meetings.
E3 helps manufacturers compete by streamlining processes to find gains in efficiency, production, and quality. These gains often result in cost savings, increased sales, and job growth. E3 helps manufacturers collaborate as communities, and the experts within them, understand the impact manufacturing has on their economy. By working together to address the needs and challenges faced by manufacturers, everyone benefits. E3 helps manufacturers improve by participating in a review of overall plant practices relative to international peer groups to truly understand how their operations stack up. And, E3 help manufacturers succeed as the incorporation of sustainable practices will inevitably lead to profitability and thus long-term success.
So, where are the E3 partnerships in North Carolina? Here is a snapshot. E3 Northwest Piedmont includes manufacturers participating in Forsyth County and soon to expand reach into Davie County. There are additional active E3 communities and manufacturing partners in Burke and Cleveland counties. Other new E3 communities under development are located in Asheville/Buncombe County, the Blue Ridge Tri-County community including Caldwell, Watauga, and Ashe. In fact, E3 communities will be active in every NC economic development region by April.
In Union County, Monroe Economic Development has already identified several local manufacturers as potential businesses who could benefit from using these unique resources.
There is a lot of excitement around this initiative as we finally see a real commitment to refocus on strengthening our manufacturers through government policy. Look for many ways to learn of E3: North Carolina especially in those communities mentioned above, but a start would be to visit http://e3.ies.ncsu.edu/index.cfm for more information.
If you would like more information on how you and your company or agency can get involved in the local E3 effort in the Centralina WDB region, please contact Vail Carter at the Centralina WDB at (704) 348-2710 or vcarter@centralina.org.
The Centralina Workforce Development Board is in YOUR Community!
During the month of March 2011, the Centralina Workforce Development Board has been actively involved with events, seminars, training sessions, and other meetings all designed to help build a better workforce for our region. Beyond our involvement with the Allied Health Career Connection events, the development of the E3 project in Monroe, and Incumbent Worker projects, here are some the activities of the Board members and WDB staff for March:
Centralina WDB Youth Council meeting – held on Thursday March 17 at the Cabarrus County Boys & Girls Club in Concord. Vanessa Colon of Piedmont Behavioral Health (PBH) was the featured speaker at the meeting. Vanessa is the Community Relations Manager for the Behavioral Healthcare organization which serves four of the counties in the Centralina WDB region (Cabarrus, Rowan, Stanly and Union). PBH maintains a system of care for people in need of treatment for mental health, developmental disabilities and substance abuse services. PBH provides free community education on the topics of Stress Management; Developmental Disabilities; Substance abuse; Depression & Physical Illness; Anxiety; Depression; Mental Health and Suicide Prevention. PBH’s outreach team includes a Child and Youth Liaison that works with pediatrician’s offices in providing consultation and linkage for consumers in need of Mental Health services.
Mooresville Graded Schools Career Bridge meeting – held on Monday March 21 at NF Woods School in Mooresville. David Hollars, Centralina WDB Executive Director, participated in this meeting which is an advisory board for career and technical education. Group finalized plans for Economic Summit for Youth to be held on Thursday March 31 at Charles Mack Citizens Center in Mooresville.
United Way of the Central Carolinas – Community Assessment meeting – held on March 1 at United Way offices. United Way of Central Carolinas and the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute teamed up to conduct a comprehensive, five-county needs assessment. This study is broader than any assessment previously undertaken in our region. The group has completed gathering statistical data, reviewing a wealth of existing and current studies and conducting a survey of agencies. Centralina WDB Executive Director David Hollars was invited as an expert to serve on a panel to examine all of the data from the assessment and to recommend key areas of focus for United Way and our community. He is serving on the Crisis, Housing & Stability Expert Panel. Information from this group should be released later this Spring.
NC Department of Commerce – Division of Workforce Development – Workforce Investment Act (WIA) program and financial monitoring visit – conducted by Linda Spence and Yvette German on Wednesday-Friday March 3-5. Centralina WDB Operations Manager Patricia White, WDB Executive Director David Hollars, WDB Accountability Specialist Michelle McNulty, and Centralina Finance Officer Tonya Frye assisted in the state review team.
NC Workforce Development Board Directors Council meeting with NC Department of Commerce officials – held on Monday March 14 and Tuesday March 15 in Durham. Meeting focused on possible changes to workforce system in North Carolina including consolidation of state agencies, handling potentially large layoffs of state workers, and revamping the one-stop career center system in North Carolina.
Southeastern Employment & Training Association Spring conference – held on March 6-9 in Greensboro. Centralina WDB Executive Director David Hollars participated and served as a presenter at the conference. WDB Accountability Specialist Michelle McNulty also participated in this conference.
NC Youth Summit Planning Committee meeting - held on Friday March 18 in Greensboro. Chaired by Centralina WDB Youth Program Specialist Natasha Pender, this committee is responsible for planning the NC Youth Summit that will be held on April 15-16 in Greensboro.
NC Workforce Development Partnership Conference planning committee meeting – held on Tuesday March 22 in Raleigh. Centralina WDB Youth Program Specialist Natasha Pender is serving as a member of the committee planning for the state conference on October 12-14 in Greensboro.
Workforce Business Development and Assistance – provided by Vail Carter, Centralina WDB Business Services Representative for the following area companies:
- Delivered Job Resource materials to APEX Tool Company in Monroe (Union County) for employee meetings to assist dislocated workers in transition - March 2
- Co-hosted with Centralina Economic Development Commission the 2011 Advanced Manufacturing Regional Awards kickoff luncheon at the Centralina Council of Governments offices in Charlotte - March 9
- Represented Centralina WDB and participated in meeting of the CPCC Business Roundtable in Charlotte – March 10
- Business development meeting with Ms. Beverly Kerr of Livingstone College in Salisbury (Rowan County) – March 10
- Conducted SHARE Network Volunteer Training for HOLLA, Inc. of Morven at the Anson County JobLink Career Center in Wadesboro (Anson County) - March 11
- Conducted Incumbent Workforce Development Program Contract orientation meeting at QEMS, Inc. in Monroe (Union County) – March 30
These are only a few examples of how your Centralina Workforce Development Board is actively involved with our partners in our counties every month. To find out more about getting involved with the Centralina Workforce Development Board, please contact David Hollars at (704) 348-2717 or by e-mail at dhollars@centralina.org or visit our website at www.centralinaworks.com. The Centralina Workforce Development – The Competitive Force in Our Global Economy.
READ SIMILAR NEWS
NC Research Campus Update
Find Out What’s the Latest with this World Renowned Biotech Development
Rowan-Cabarrus CC Leader Joins MURDOCK Board
Keri Allman, Director for the Rowan-Cabarrus
Community College R3 Center in Kannapolis, has been appointed
to the MURDOCK Study Community Advisory Board.
Duke University’s MURDOCK Study is based in Kannapolis at the NC Research Campus and name for campus founder and Dole Food Company Chairman David Murdock.
The Community Advisory Board provides advice and guidance about the direction Duke should take to ensure the success of the MURDOCK Study in the Cabarrus/Kannapolis Community. Goals include recruitment efforts for the MURDOCK Study registry and bio-repository and preparing for future research utilizing data and specimens from the registry and bio-repository.
The R3 Center is a leading resource for dislocated workers. The center also supports the Re-Employment Bridge Institute (RBI) – www.remploymentbridge.com.
Allman works with major area employers incurring plant closures and layoffs including Freightliner, Philip Morris USA, and other smaller companies.
Spice Up Your Diet
A new study at the North Carolina Research Campus
is looking into whether using more black pepper in one’s diet
may lead to an increase in a person’s resting metabolism,
which in turn will burn more calories and possibly increase weight
loss.
Dr. David C. Nieman, director of the Human Performance Lab North Carolina Research Campus and professor at Appalachian State University, is looking for 25 male subjects between the ages of 25 and 45 years old, and no more than 35 pounds overweight to participate in a research study that will measure whether or not 1,500 milligrams of black pepper during one 24-hour day will increase the number of calories the body will burn to support life.
The study is funded from a grant by The McCormick Science Institute. Each participant will spend two separate nights, one week apart from each other, in a metabolic chamber, a small room with a bed and restroom connected to energy measuring equipment).
“It is a sealed room, so every breath you take will be measured,” Nieman said. “Then we know how many calories you are burning exactly, and the food given to you matches what you burn. You will leave knowing how many calories to eat for weight balance.”
There are only 11 metabolic chambers in the United States. The cost to construct the chamber, according to Nieman, is $1 million. It is accurate within 35 calories.
The first study done in the chamber by Nieman had participants working out for one hour a day. The average calorie burn before exercise was about two calories per minute for the whole day. Exercise was a vigorous sweat-producing 45 to 60 minutes on a cyclegometer, where the subjects burned 514 calories above their rest stage.
Participants in the black pepper study will give a blood sample at a 60-minute orientation and have their body composition measured. The blood sample will be used for measurement of the thyroid hormone levels. If levels don’t fall within the normal range, the participant will be excluded from the study. Body composition will be measured using a dual-emission x-ray absorptiometry or DEXA machine. The DEXA will scan the entire body.
A blood sample will be collected from each of the days the participants spend in the chamber.
A typical day in the chamber begins at 7:30 a.m. when the subject arrives in an overnight fasted state (no food or beverage other than water after 11 p.m.). At 9 a.m., breakfast cooked in the research kitchen will be provided through an airlock chamber. At 1:30 p.m., lunch is provided and 30 minutes later a blood sample is taken. Dinner is provided at 7 p.m. and bedtime is at 10:30 p.m. Subjects leave the chamber at 7:15 a.m. the following morning.
The same process is repeated the following week at the second visit. During one of the two days, participants will be asked to take 1,500 mg of black pepper in a shot of tomato juice at every meal. Each participant receives $200 following all the study procedures, and receives the results on the body composition and metabolism results.
“Our hypothesis is based on some animal data that the pepper will increase the metabolism by about 100 calories a day,” Nieman said.
That small additional calorie burn could allow for an extra snack, or a slight boost in weight loss. At 100 calories a day, additional burn in a month would equal one pound, and in a year the total weight loss could be 12 pounds. To sign up for the study email Dr. Nieman at: ASU-NCRC@appstate.edu.
NC Research Campus Student Housing Proposed – Kannapolis
Rotary Club Takes the Lead
The Kannapolis Rotary Club has launched a fund-raiser
that would support the first student housing at the N.C. Research
Campus in Kannapolis. The club has set a five-year goal to raise
at least $300,000. That money would support the purchase of a home
near the Kannapolis-based research hub, to be called the Rotary
House. Organizers expect it would house as many as 10 students.
This is the largest fund-raising project the club has tackled.
“We want to be able to do something significant for the community,” says Tom Kincaid, president of the roughly 75-member organization. No student housing is currently offered on the research campus, he notes.
But there will be a growing demand for such facilities in the upcoming years as students gain hands-on training at the 350-acre life-sciences hub and the level of research grows. The research campus is focused on health, nutrition and agriculture. It is home to operations of eight North Carolina universities and Rowan-Cabarrus Community College.
“We are going to make it happen one way or another,” says Whit Whitley, chair of the fund-raising committee.
The project should help students who need short-term housing when they come to work at the research campus. It also will fill the gap for international students in need of transitional housing.
“This project has international ramifications, as it opens up opportunities to come to Kannapolis from students all over the world,” says Mary Ann Lila, director of the N.C. State Plants for Human Health Institute.
Please stay tuned to the Centralina Workforce Development Board’s monthly E-Newsletter for more developments on this exciting story. For more information on what is going on at the NC Research Campus, please visit the Centralina Workforce Development Board’s website at www.centralinaworks.com.
Tondra Blevins, with UNC Chapel Hill's Nutrition Research Institute, sits on the bed of the metabolic chamber at the UNC Nutrition Research Institute. Dr. David C. Nieman is using the chamber to study the influence of black pepper ingestion on metabolism. |
READ SIMILAR NEWS
Sticky Business!Centralina WDB Youth Council Supports Cabarrus County Boys & Girls Club’s Annual Pancake DayThe Centralina Youth Council met on Thursday, March 17, 2011 at the Cabarrus County Boys & Girls Club in Concord. To add to the St. Patrick’s Day excitement, March 17 was also the day of the Cabarrus County Boys & Girls Club’s Pancake Day. The annual event is a huge fundraiser for the Club and a fun and tasty event for the entire Cabarrus community.
The Youth Council featured a presentation from Vanessa Colon of Piedmont Behavioral Health (PBH). Vanessa is the Community Relations Manager for the Behavioral Healthcare organization which serves four of the counties in the Centralina WDB region (Cabarrus, Rowan, Stanly and Union). PBH maintains a system of care for people in need of treatment for mental health, developmental disabilities and substance abuse services. PBH provides free community education on the topics of Stress Management; Developmental Disabilities; Substance abuse; Depression & Physical Illness; Anxiety; Depression; Mental Health and Suicide Prevention. PBH’s outreach team includes a Child and Youth Liaison that works with pediatrician’s offices in providing consultation and linkage for consumers in need of Mental Health services. Furthermore, there are several ways in which to access PBH services: through the Call Center: 1-800-939-5911. The Call Center is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year! Also, the Mobile Crisis Unit provides immediate face – to- face counseling and support to people in need at the scene of a crisis, and also responds to homes, physician’s offices, churches, magistrates and community agencies/organizations as needed. More information on PBH can be found at their website: www.pbhsolutions.org. Centralina WDB youth services contractors each shared updates on youth activities within their organizations. A shared sentiment was the excitement of the youth chosen to attend the 2011 NC Youth Summit. Patricia White, Centralina WDB Operations Manager, shared an update on Workforce Investment Act (WIA) activities and Youth Council members and guests shared a lot of information regarding community events. Save the dates below for the following great events in the region: • Celebration & Motivation – Appreciation luncheon for youth chosen to attend the NC Youth Summit – Friday, April 1, 2011 – The Wren House, Salisbury NC • Boys to Men – featuring Author Omar Tyree – Saturday, April 2 – HOLLA! Recreation Center – Morven NC • 2011 NC Youth Summit – Friday and Saturday, April 15-16, 2011 – Embassy Suites - Greensboro (registration closed) • Career Connections Fair – March 30, 2011 – Lockhart- Taylor Center – Wadesboro NC • Career Bridge Summit – March 31, 2011 – Charles Mack Citizen Center – Mooresville NC • Career Connections Fair – April 8, 2011 – South Piedmont Community College Conference Center – Monroe NC • 3rd Annual Iredell Youth Service Day Celebration – April 13, 2011 - Statesville Housing Authority – Statesville NC • WHEELS Youth Forum – April 1, 2011 – Covenant Presbyterian Church – Charlotte NC • Youth Empowerment Days “Sweet 16 Party”– May 6, 2011 – CCLC Afterschool Program 1424 Rickert Street, Statesville NC • Youth Empowerment Days “Empowerment Session” – May 7, 2011 – featuring Kwain Bryant – CCLC Afterschool Program 1424 Rickert Street Statesville NC • AGDiscovery 2011 – Boarding program for middle and high school students interested in Science – July 18-29, 2011 – NC State University - Raleigh NC. www.science-house.org For more information on the Centralina WDB Youth Council or to get an invitation to the next exciting meeting, please contact Natasha Pender at (704) 348-2725 or npender@centralina.org.
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“This
was our largest Pancake Day ever. Over 5,000 people attended
and over 100 volunteers helped out. The event raises over
$25,000 after expenses. We estimate over 10,000 sausage patties
and over 15,000 pancakes were served,” said Valerie
Melton, Executive Director of the 
Anson High School athletic standouts (left to right) Brandon Ellerbe, Stephone Anthony and Emmanuel Hough enjoy refreshments in the HOLLA! Literary Cafe during the open house. |
Natasha Pender of the Centralina Workforce Development Board and her son, Izayah, tour the student lounge and media center of the Morven HOLLA! Center. |
Youth Take the Lead
Youth Leadership Iredell Introduces Youth to City Departments
More than 30 students in the Youth Leadership Iredell program got an up-close look at the inner workings of city government on Wednesday March 23, 2011. The students visited five city departments — police, fire, parks and recreation, public works and planning — to learn about the responsibilities of those departments and the roles of staff members.
After touring the facilities, the 11th-graders enrolled in the program from North Iredell, Statesville, and West Iredell high schools participated in a mock city council meeting. It was one of seven sessions the group has throughout the course of the school year. Other sessions focus on local arts and culture, economic development, wellness, the judicial system and more.
During the mock meeting in the County Government Center, students took turns acting as city council members and presenting various requests. Among the requests was permission to buy new stationary bikes for the Statesville Fitness & Activity Center, build a mall near Western Avenue Baptist Church, hire a crime scene investigator for the police department, purchase a new fire truck and add a downtown parking deck.
North High students Haley Jones, 17, and Elizabeth Smith, 17, participated in the mock meeting. Haley said she has attended public hearing meetings before, but participating in Wednesday’s event gave her a better understanding of procedures and its purpose. “It really helps me understand how the process works,” she said. “I’ve been to a lot of these things and never understood.” Elizabeth said she might consider running for a council seat in her future.
North High student Brennen Guzik, 17, who participated in the group that toured the police department, said the session taught him how a small group of people can join forces to make a change. He said such meetings give people a platform to speak. “It helps give us a voice,” he said. “It lets us know how all this takes place,” he said
The Youth Leadership Iredell program — now in its fourth year — is giving the students needed hands-on experience.
The Centralina Workforce Development Board and the Centralina WDB Youth Council are proud partners with the Youth Leadership Iredell program and is excited to see local partners coming up with innovative ways to connect our youth to their future. For more information on the Centralina WDB Youth Council, please contact Natasha Pender at (704) 348-2725 or npender@centralina.org.
Abby Scott, 16, represented the planning department where she pitched a proposal of developing a shopping center in a residential neighborhood. Abby, along with other students from area high schools participate in a mock council meeting at the government center Wednesday afternoon. |
Making Your Future in 3D
Union County Public Schools Students Build High Tech Printer
Printing a class paper is a cinch, but how many high schoolers can print a doorknob?
Marvin
Ridge High School is the first Union County school
to build and use a 3D printer. Gabriel Oprea’s
IB physics class is a pioneer in the relatively new technology.
“In all the other labs, we’ve studied what other people have done,” junior Leah Helsel said. “Now, we’re studying something totally our own.”
The printer, from MakerBot Industries, has a balsa wood frame and colorful wires sticking out of one side. It cost about $900, funded through a donation.
“Students need good examples of what science can do for them,” Oprea said.
The 3D printer gives them hands-on experience in mechanics and gets them excited about science, he said. It also teaches them to problem solve when something doesn’t work properly. The printer, dubbed “Cupcake” by the manufacturer, makes almost anything with dimensions up 4 inches wide and 5 inches tall — about the size of a cupcake.
Here’s how it works: Students use an open-source software program to find previously downloaded models on the computer. The models are free and available to anyone. They upload the models to the printer, which feeds long, thin strands of ABS plastic — the same kind used to make Legos — onto a heated platform. The platform heats to about 428 degrees Fahrenheit, melting the plastic and creating a 3D object. A small object takes about half an hour.
The whole class worked on the printer the day it arrived, but juniors Gordon Holzberg and Aaron Arthur worked closely with Oprea to finish assembly. At times frustrated, they dealt with technical problems and outdated firmware along the way. They estimate spending 50 and 70 hours on the printer, including many hours after school.
Since working on the printer, Arthur is more interested in majoring in computer and electric engineering. Other class labs are “not as technologically based,” junior Erich Kessel said, and working on the printer gives students a leg up in next year’s physics class.
“This is not something that stops here,” Oprea said. The class can print parts for a second printer and add motors and metal pieces to make it work. “This printer will print another printer,” Oprea said.
Students find many models on Thingiverse.com. Users have printed a door stop, iPhone speaker stand, chess set, coffee tamper, bracelet, socket cover and money box. Gordon and Arthur printed a doorknob.
Oprea predicts seeing the technology in more homes in the future. “If you need a cup, you can make one,” he said. If the cup isn’t quite right, the printer can melt it down and reuse the plastic. Oprea plans to work on a 3D scanner, quadcopter and hexapod robot next.
Holzberg would like to see a 3D atom or miniature submarine. He was stoked to find a bathtub-size U-boat model online.
The Centralina Workforce Development Board and the Centralina WDB Youth Council are proud partners Union County Public Schools and is excited to see its partners connecting youth to new technology that will lead them to new careers. For more information on the Centralina WDB Youth Council, please contact Natasha Pender at (704) 348-2725 or npender@centralina.org.
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Aaron Arthur, a junior at Marvin Ridge High, worked with fellow junior Gordon Holzberg, to build this 3-D printer. It's made by MakerBot Industries, has a balsa wood frame and colorful wires sticking out of one side. It cost about $900, funded through a donation. |
Contact: Natasha Pender at
704.348.2725 or npender@centralina.org
For more information on Centralina region JobLink Career Centers, click here.
Commitment to workforce excellence
What's Happening in the Region?
Comings, Goings, Kudos…
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Robert
J. Carney, Jr. has been named the new Executive
Director of the Mooresville-South Iredell Economic
Development Corporation. Carney has served as
the Interim Executive Director since February 1, 2011,
when Russell N. Rogerson, former Executive
Director, resigned to accept a Senior Vice President position
with the Charlotte Regional Partnership.
John
Marek, Director of Business Retention, Expansion
and Marketing at the Greater Statesville Development
Corporation, won the NC Economic Developers
Association’s annual scholarship award.
The honor provides him with funding over three years to
attend the University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development
Institute. Marek is an early adopter of social media in
economic development in the Statesville area. Congratulations
John! 
Eldridge
S. Williams retired from Livingstone
College as their Assistant Director of Career
and Community Services. During his 22 years at Livingstone
he has worked in several capacities, including assistant
vice president of community development and community
relations, director of human resources and director of
community and governmental relations. Eldridge was also
a member of the Rowan County JobLink Partners group.
Congratulations
go out to Samantha Moose, Existing Industry
Specialist for Cabarrus Economic Development,
and Charity Barbee Pitman, Associate
Director of the Lake Norman Economic Development
Commission, who have graduated from the Oklahoma
University Economic Development Institute. The 49-year-old
institute is one step in the process that leads to receiving
the Certified Economic Developer designation. 
John
Mills has been promoted to Executive Vice President
of the Cabarrus County Convention and Visitors
Bureau. Previously, Mills served as vice president
of finance and administration. Prior to joining the Bureau
as a staff member in May 2008, he served as a member of
the organization’s board of directors.
Representative
Pryor Gibson, who represents Anson and
Union counties in the NC General Assembly, has given up
his seat in the House of Representatives to serve as Governor
Bev Perdue’s senior adviser for governmental affairs.
Gibson’s move into his new role coincides with Frank
McGuirt, former Union County Sheriff, being named successor
for Gibson’s former House seat. Frank McGuirt is
the husband of Union County Community Action, Inc. Executive
Director Jenny McGuirt.
Gaston
College President Patricia Skinner will
be named the state's top community college president
by the N.C. Community College System
in April. She will be the recipient of the Wells
Fargo President of the Year Award, the highest award
a college president can receive from the state's
58-member community college system. The award will
be presented on April 14 in Raleigh. Congratulations
Patricia!
• Centralina Workforce Development
Board meeting • Centralina WDB Youth Council meeting
• NC Youth Leads Forum • South Carolina Continuing Education
Professionals Conference • Charlotte Region Workforce Development
Partnership meeting • A Framework for Understanding Poverty • Resume Clinic • Looking for Work at 50+ • Job Seeking Strategies for the Professional • Healthcare Career Pathways • Identifying Your Career Options • Nerds are COOL, Technology is HOT:
Careers in Computers • Interview Techniques • Stand Out from the Competition • Resume Clinic • Online Job Hunting • Letter Writing for the Job Seeker • Looking for Work at 50+ • Resume Clinic • Looking for Work with a Criminal
Record • Identifying Your Career Options • It’s Not Who You Know, It’s
Who You Meet • Stand Out from the Competition • Interview Techniques • Rowan Chamber of Commerce Business
Show 2011 • SEED – Students Engaging in
Entrepreneurial Development • Cabarrus Economic Development –
Annual Stockholder Summit • Veterans’ Career Connection
The North Carolina Workforce Development Training Center Training offers many great training sessions for every workforce development professional. The Center can even do online trainings for you and your colleagues. Some of the great training sessions include: Keeping Your Cool (When Others are HOT!), Assessment: The Foundation of Case Management, Delivering Excellent Customer Service, and Youth Services: A Variety of Topics. These are just some of the great training sessions they can put together for your team. So give them a call and see what they can do for you! Contact Robin Broome at (919) 306-1819 or visit their website for more information at www.ncwdtc.com. • Converting Conflict and Diversity
into Positive Power • Career Development Facilitator Programs • Delivering Excellent Customer Service |
| Visit
our website at www.centralinaworks.com
to learn more about the Centralina WDB |
| To
learn more about the Centralina Council of Governments please visit
www.centralina.org |
| CentralinaWORKS is a publication of the Centralina Workforce Development Board. If you do not wish to receive this E-Newsletter in the future, please send a return e-mail and type "REMOVE" in the Subject Line and you will be removed from our distribution list. The CWDB does not share its distribution list with other organizations. Please feel free to share this E-Newsletter with co-workers and other business associates. |