Media Relations
Jenny Tinklepaugh
jtinklepaugh@goldenleaf.org
888-684-8404
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Press Release
Golden LEAF News - October 2011 Greetings—
Reminder: Pre-applications will be accepted through Nov. 7 for the Rural Hope Initiative.
The Rural Hope Initiative was launched in 2009 to support the construction and renovation of new or existing health care facilities and in the purchase of equipment for health care facilities. Projects receiving awards must create permanent jobs at those facilities. Since the outset of the initiative, Golden LEAF and other funding partners have awarded $10 million to 67 projects across the state, resulting in 803 new jobs and leveraging $224 million in additional public and private investments.
This year, Golden LEAF and partners are providing $6.5 million in funding for the initiative. For more information about Rural Hope and how to apply, click here.
In this edition of Golden LEAF News, read about job creation projects in Guilford, Transylvania, and Forsyth counties and job training projects in Sampson, Forsyth, Wayne, Nash, Wilkes, and Edgecombe counties. Learn more about the Golden LEAF Community Assistance Initiative in Beaufort and McDowell counties and the statewide Rural Hope Initiative. Read about STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) projects in Craven and Rockingham counties. Other economic development projects mentioned below are a new, regional food processing facility located in Hillsborough, high speed broadband deployment in the northeastern part of the state, and tourism development in Burke County.
Best,
Jenny Tinklepaugh
Program/ Communications Officer
jtinklepaugh@goldenleaf.org
www.goldenleaf.org
In this edition of "Golden LEAF News":
HondaJet to Create 419 Jobs with Greensboro Expansion
FOX8
HondaJet announced recently that it would create more than 400 high-paying jobs with a new 80,000-square-foot maintenance facility in Greensboro. The new Maintenance and Overhaul facility will produce 419 new jobs and $79 million in investment. The average wage for the new jobs will be $53,418. The Golden LEAF Foundation awarded a $1 million grant to the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority to aid in the extension of a publicly owned taxiway at the airport. Construction of the new maintenance facility will involve a $20 million investment by HondaJet. Overall investment in Guilford County is expected to be $78.7 million over the next five years.
Golden LEAF grant to create jobs and expand operations
REFLECTIONS: The Newsletter of Transylvania Vocational Services, Inc.
The Golden LEAF Foundation awarded Transylvania Vocational Services with a $195,000 grant that will result in the creation over 25 jobs. The project involves TVS’s new product, Instant Corn Soy Blend (ICSB), which will soon be on the way to Haiti. This new product is targeted for international and emergency feeding through World Hope International, Inc. and was developed through the partnership of TVS and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Research Services. It will provide a high-quality blend of corn and soy flour, along with an enhanced blend of vitamins and nutrients to optimize nutritional care.
$6.5M in grants, loans available to N.C.’s rural communities for health-care job creation
Mountain Xpress
Golden LEAF and five partnering agencies recently announced the availability of $6.5 million to support health care facilities and job creation in rural North Carolina. These nonprofit and governmental partners are making grants and loans available under an initiative called Rural Hope. The Rural Hope initiative was launched two years ago to assist in the construction and renovation of new or existing health care facilities and in the purchase of equipment for health care facilities. Projects receiving awards must create permanent jobs at those facilities. In its first two years, the funding partners have awarded $10 million to 67 projects across the state, resulting in 803 new jobs and leveraging $224 million in additional public and private investments. Pre-applications will be accepted through Nov. 7. Click here for more information.
Center gets LEAF grant
North Raleigh News
The nonprofit Wireless Research Center of North Carolina was awarded a $962,000 grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation. The Wake Forest facility will provide 15 to 20 jobs directly, and officials expect it to attract business and development from across the state. The money will allow the center to purchase an antenna measurement chamber to assess the performance of wireless equipment from cell phones to medical equipment. This project will attract researchers and product developers who want to test the viability of their devices without losing their intellectual property rights.
SCC, partners touted for ammonia program
The Sampson Independent
Sampson Independent
The first-ever Governor’s Innovative Partnership award was presented to Sampson Community College this week courtesy of an ammonia refrigeration program and the visionary approach taken with this project. SCC president Dr. Bill Aiken, and partners the Golden LEAF Foundation, Butterball Inc, Smithfield Foods, Prestage Farms, and the Community College System were touted for their commitment to provide needed training programs that helped both employers and employees. SCC and its partners were one of nine programs nominated for the first-ever state award. The training program has become the primary ammonia training institution for all of Smithfield Foods, Prestage Farms and Butterball, and is providing a much needed service to many industries that use this technology.
McDowell officials asked, ‘What would you do with $2 million?’
The McDowell News
McDowell County could get approximately $2 million in grant money from the Golden LEAF Foundation, thanks to the Foundation’s Community Assistance Initiative. The initiative is a grant-making process targeting economically distressed counties across North Carolina and is currently being implemented in McDowell County. The initiative has a reserve of approximately $2 million per county. The Golden LEAF Board will make the funding decisions and the process takes about six to nine months.
Sanford Caterpillar plant has grand opening
Winston-Salem Journal
Caterpillar Inc. recently held a grand-opening event for its expanded plant in Sanford. Caterpillar will spend $28.3 million on the Sanford plant expansion, creating 325 jobs over four years. A supplier will create an additional 160 employees at the plant. Caterpillar builds tight-turning skid loaders at the Sanford plant, which are widely used in skid steer, compact track and multi-terrain loaders for landscaping and construction. The expansion nearly doubles Caterpillar's workforce in Sanford, where it has 295 employees. The Golden LEAF Foundation awarded Forysth Tech $141,000 for equipment used to train employees at Caterpillar and other advanced-manufacturing plants, and $1 million to purchase equipment that will be leased to the company.
Forsyth Tech's Caterpillar training wide-ranging
Winston-Salem Journal
Forsyth Tech, which played a pivotal role in Caterpillar's decision to build a $426 million manufacturing plant, is leasing a 60,000-square-foot warehouse off of N.C. 66 that serves as a temporary training center for new Caterpillar employees. The inaugural training class of 13 employees finished a six-week training course this month, and a new class will begin in a few weeks. The warehouse includes $650,000 worth of equipment that Forsyth Tech bought with grant money from the Golden LEAF Foundation, Duke Energy and the N.C. Community College system. Caterpillar has committed to hiring 392 full-time workers and 118 contract workers at full production. For information about jobs at Caterpillar, visit www.JoinTeamCaterpillar.com.
NERB Ramping Up
NC Tech News
Northeast Rural Broadband (NERB) is beginning work with rural communities in northeastern NC to ensure they are able to deploy “Last Mile” high-speed broadband coverage. NERB was recently involved in the review process that led to selection of ECC Technologies, the company which will market a statewide $105 million “Middle Mile” fiber build. NERB will work with ECC to identify an initial sub-section of 2-3 counties within northeastern NC. These communities will be among the first to receive specialized planning assistance from ECC Technologies and a draft broadband deployment strategy. The discussion of “Last Mile” options is only made possible because of the organization MCNC, which earlier secured primary funding through the Golden LEAF Foundation and the federal stimulus program, BTOP, to develop a 2,500 mile fiber broadband network throughout the state known as the “Middle Mile.”
Aviation Facilities Open House Nov. 4
Wayne Community College – website
Wayne Community College’s Aviation Systems Technology Program will celebrate the renovation of its facilities at the Wayne Executive Jetport in Pikeville with a public open house on Friday, Nov. 4. The event, starting at 10 a.m., will begin with brief remarks from college and Golden LEAF officials and students who are benefitting from the upgrades. Faculty will conduct tours and students will provide demonstrations throughout its classroom building and hangar. A $550,000 Golden LEAF grant allowed WCC to incorporate state-of-practice equipment into its Aviation Systems Technology program which aides in teaching the practices and technologies used in aircraft manufacturing and maintenance, repair and overhaul industries.
NCC shows off high-tech additions
Rocky Mount Telegram
At Nash Community College in the Zifferer Family New Standard Corp. Computer-Integrated Machining Lab, students are learning first-hand the reality of working on factory assembly lines by utilizing a new Advanced Flexible Integrated Manufacturing system. This equipment was made possible through a $200,000 Golden LEAF grant. The equipment allows students to train in an actual working environment and will be an invaluable tool to recruit high-tech industry.
“Life in the Carolinas” features Burke
The News Herald
Burke County is being featured in “Life in the Carolinas with Carl White” on My Network. Using funds from a Golden LEAF grant, Burke County Tourism Development Authority has expanded its marketing efforts in recent months resulting in TV ads and magazine and newspaper articles. The publicity has led to double digit increases of people stopping at the visitor center. September numbers were 44 percent higher than the same time last year, and in May, visitors increased 74 percent. “Life in the Carolinas” producers saw a TV ad for Burke County in Charlotte and after several visits they decided to shoot the 30-minute segment for the show.
STEM initiative gives students real-world experience
New Bern Sun Journal
Havelock Middle School students have a new Career and Technical Education class this school year. Grants from the Golden LEAF Foundation gave students a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Lab that aligns to careers available in Eastern North Carolina. STEM learning modules at Havelock Middle School include the following topics: flight technology, CNC manufacturing, rocket science, plastics and polymers, robotics, material science, electronics, simple machines, electricity, Computer Aided Drafting and Design (CADD), engineering bridges and energy, power and mechanics.
Dream it, make it, at WCC
The Wilkes Record
Wilkes Community College's Advanced Industrial Technologies department offers programs which expose students the same equipment they would find in the workplace. The program also makes Wilkes' workforce attractive to industries looking at locating in the area. One of the main tools used by students of the program is a 3D prototype printer, thanks in part to a grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation. Few universities and colleges have this sort of technology available to students. The programs at Wilkes Community College are also aligned with the Northwest North Carolina Advanced Materials Cluster, an economic partnership between Wilkes, Ashe and Alleghany counties as well as WCC.
Officials discuss grant funding
Washington Daily News
A cross section of Beaufort County politicians, special-interest groups and nonprofit organizations met with Golden LEAF Foundation officials recently to get specifics on the Foundation’s Community Assistance Initiative that results in around $2 million in grant money. The Initiative aims to stimulate economic growth and promote community progress. The critical element in the initial stage of planning is consensus on key issues affecting Beaufort County’s economic growth. Once consensus is reached, the next step is agreement on the funding priorities of Beaufort County. Both steps are designed to foster an environment of community-wide cooperation. The next public meeting is set for Nov. 10 and will begin the effort to decide key economic issues.
Food processing center opens this month
Burlington Times News
The Piedmont Food and Agricultural Processing Center held its grand opening on October 21. The Hillsborough food processing center – aimed at serving regional farmers and businesses –offers 10,400 square feet of space for food production equipment, refrigerated and frozen storage and office space. The facility will lease equipment by the hour and storage area by the month to Piedmont-area farmers. Produce can be washed, graded and packed at the center. Three other rooms are equipped to prepare and package baked goods, jams, jellies, sauces and specialty foods. The project received funding from numerous organizations, including the Golden LEAF Foundation. Visit www.co.orange.nc.us/farms/PFAP for more information about the food processing center.
Grant helps Rockingham County STEM initiative
News 14 Carolina
Some eighth-graders in Rockingham County are learning the basics of matter. They make up a fraction of Rockingham County students who are getting a boost in STEM related learning. A $325,000 grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation will help students get the resources and encouragement needed to excel in STEM. District leaders hope other students will follow her lead in taking an interest in STEM related careers, especially young women and minorities. Thanks to the grant, there are more science kits in classrooms, which will provide more hands on learning. Leaders say the grant also gives teachers professional development opportunities so they will be better equipped to motivate students.
ECC historic preservation program wins state award
Rocky Mount Telegram
The historic preservation program at Edgecombe Community College received a 2011 Honor Award from Preservation North Carolina. Preservation North Carolina presented the Gertrude S. Carraway Award of Merit to the college on Sept. 30 for its historic preservation program. The program began in 2008 as a one-day Preservation Trades School, and it has quickly morphed into a comprehensive degree, diploma, and certificate program. ECC is one of only five community colleges in the nation that offers a program in historic preservation and the only one in North Carolina. Historic preservation trades like carpentry, masonry, roofing, plaster repair, timber framing, stained glass, painting, window restoration, ironworks and tombstone repair are included in the Edgecombe curriculum. ECC received a $55,000 grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation to help start the program.
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