Calhoun County Economic Development Council

🎉Industrial Block Party🎉 The final FuelAL event of the summer was a success, which was made possible by the unwavering support of our industry partners. We are especially grateful to Auto Custom Carpets for generously opening their facility to young talent and other industry leaders. Your support enabled us to introduce college students, interns, and young professionals to industrial careers through a site tour and connections. The impact of the event extended beyond the FuelAL participants. Professionals in the manufacturing sector continued to network and form valuable relationships with each other, creating a resourceful community. The EDC would also like to extend a special thank you to the Calhoun County Area Chamber & Visitors Center for their partnership with FuelAL as well as to Hubbard's Off Main for providing the delicious food that added to the event. The City of Oxford, Alabama always does an amazing job capturing the fun!

Economic Development Day with the 2024 Leadership Calhoun County Class What an incredible day it was! Our Economic Development Day shed light on the manufacturers in our area, with Associated MetalCast and Aerospace Coatings International, Inc. opening their doors to the 2024 LCC class. We also had the privilege of highlighting the purpose of CREATE with insights from Lorie Denton. A special thank you to our speakers from Bridgewater Interiors and Doncasters Group for sharing their knowledge and experiences. These contributions made the day even more inspiring. We are grateful for the partnership with the Calhoun County Area Chamber & Visitors Center, so we can spread awareness of Economic Development and have manufacturing conversations with future leaders. Here's to promoting Calhoun County and continuing to support our existing industry!

The Calhoun County Department of Human Resources will hold a Job & Resource Fair on Wednesday, August 14 from 10am – 2pm. Share with someone you know today! ✅

The 2024 STEM Externship Program for Calhoun County is complete The Alabama STEM Council chose the Calhoun County Economic Development Council to be a host of the 2024 STEM Externship Program. This week, the EDC partnered with various manufacturing facilities and the Create Technology and Innovation Center to share the importance of STEM education through industry connections. Externs experienced industrial STEM-related careers, learned about workforce development partnerships, and grew their relationships in manufacturing that they will in return utilize inside the classroom by relaying real-world scenarios back to students. The teachers had great conversations about shifting the educational vision from traditional model of learning to a more interactive, hands-on way of thinking even down to the elementary grade levels--which are proving to be just as impactful for industrial exposure. Over the course of three days, teachers visited five different manufacturers while exploring partnerships through CareerPals exercises, and were also able to hear from panelists and speakers. Each day symbolized different perspectives for student learning and real-world STEM applications. We would like to extend our gratitude towards our existing industry as they took valuable time and efforts out of their day to help make this years program a success. This entire week would not have been possible without their insights. Building the future workforce generation is something the EDC is proud to invest in, and we are grateful that we can depend on the partnerships with the existing industry in Calhoun County. Anniston Army Depot Associated MetalCast Auto Custom Carpets CREATE Technology and Innovation Center Doncasters Group Eastman East AlabamaWorks General Dynamics Land Systems American Honda Motor Company, Inc. Kronospan M&H Valve Company New Flyer Tyler Union Lorie Denton Sherita Hayes

On June 18th, Calhoun County’s existing industry graciously opened their doors to bring educators from Calhoun County Schools in for various Educator Tours through a partnership with the Calhoun County Economic Development Council, East AlabamaWorks, and Create Technology and Innovation Center. Educator Tours serve a purpose of providing teachers with real-world scenarios, industry connections, and knowledge of current workforce demands. • The EDC is so proud to have dedicated community partners and an existing industry that takes part in opportunities like these to spread awareness of trades and the importance of these partnerships inside our schools. • Thank you to all of our partners that made today happen. We appreciate the time spent with this group of teachers and are looking forward to the different ways they utilize their new found connections. • Kobay South General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems Tape Craft Corp American Honda Motor Company, Inc.

Calling all Plant Managers, Supervisors, and Team Leads! 📣 Mark your calendars and save the date for an Industry Reception on July 25th. This will be the last Calhoun County FuelAL event of 2024 and we invite you to network with program participants. We will share the importance of our existing industry by spreading awareness of manufacturing careers and introducing interns to different Industry Leaders. FuelAL’s mission is to help attract and retain college students, interns, and young professionals by growing relationships in Alabama's communities as well as connecting students to mentors. Over the summer we will gather this group to have in-depth discussions, professional development sessions, and socials. Join us as we showcase Calhoun County!

What a great turn out this morning! Today the JSU Center for Manufacturing Support hosted our manufacturers of Calhoun County as a way to explore opportunities and partnerships. The Industry Needs Roundtable was created with a give-and-take mindset, so that the CMS and the JSU Department of Applied Engineering could hear directly from companies about their current/ future needs. New connections were established and old friendships strengthened with more knowledge of local support systems. If you missed out on the event and would like more information, please visit: https://lnkd.in/erbbeSKp Big thanks to the CMS, Dr. Dana Ingalsbe, and Matthew Rosser for hosting as well as the Calhoun County Area Chamber & Visitors Center for their continued support.

Next week is our Manufacturer's Roundtable! Don't forget to register. The form closes this Friday, May 10th. Breakfast will be provided. Need the link? Send us a message 🤖

Save-the-date for a Manufacturer’s Roundtable centered around the discussion of industry needs with JSU Center for Manufacturing Support in partnership with JSU Department of Applied Engineering and the Calhoun County Area Chamber & Visitors Center. The CMS strives to help solve company problem areas, whether that be with additive manufacturing, supply chain issues, robotic training solutions, or best practices in relation to workforce. Now there is an opportunity for you to share wants and needs as well as the chance for your company to connect. Join us as we discover ways to partner with an impressive resource in our community. To learn more about the CMS, please visit: https://lnkd.in/erbbeSKp

Industrial Educator Tours this morning allowed for around 150 teachers from Oxford City Schools to meet the diverse population of manufacturers that supply thousands of jobs in Calhoun County. Our existing industries opened their doors in support of furthering the relationships with the people who teach and develop this area’s future workforce. We are extremely thankful to everyone who was a part of making these tours possible. As teachers completed tours, they were provided with real-world examples of all the curriculum that can now be applied in the classroom. Existing Industry: Aerospace Coatings International, Inc. Associated MetalCast Auto Custom Carpets Bridgewater Interiors Doncasters Group FabArc Steel Supply, Inc. Kronospan Tape Craft Partnerships: East AlabamaWorks Oxford City Schools District Lorie Denton 📷 The City of Oxford, Alabama