Some of the area’s leading manufacturers and economic developers Wednesday were recognized, during the 23rd Annual Salute to Industry Luncheon at East Mississippi Community College.
And EMCC President Dr. Rick Young said the school’s commitment to workforce training is stronger than ever.
“EMCC got into economic development, when Weyerhaeuser located to Columbus in 1979,” Young said. “I take pride in saying we have the greatest workforce training team in the state. My commitment to workforce training has never been stronger. It all goes back to jobs. We help to increase the tax base, through what we do and the tax base helps us in return.”
During the luncheon’s keynote address, Columbus-Lowndes Development Link CEO Joe Max Higgins thanked the school for aid in recruiting and landing industrial prospects.
“I want everyone to see the value EMCC brings to the region,” Higgins said. “It allows us to compete for jobs we would not normally be able to get.”
The area’s top economic developer stressed the importance of manufacturing jobs for Lowndes County.
“I want you to understand one important thing: If the manufacturers weren’t here, there wouldn’t be jobs for the rest of us,” said Higgins. “There was a time when manufacturing was vilified and people looked down their noses at people that worked in manufacturing. Well, I’m here to tell you that some of the manufacturers we have in this room today are the best of the best at what they do. We have advanced manufacturing here in the Golden Triangle with a certain level of skill sets. These people are making more than a decent wage and they have great working conditions. The live a very good life, from their work life to their private life. A once-a-year luncheon is not enough to show our appreciation for manufacturing. We are proud of who have here and what we have here.”
Since the arrival of American Eurocopter, the Lowndes County Industrial Park has since seen the arrival of Aurora Flight Sciences, Severstal, Paccar and other manufacturers. Higgins said the days of exporting high-end manufacturing jobs may be coming to an end.
“This is my job; I do it (24 hours a day and seven days a week),” Higgins said. “We bring in some of the nation’s premier pundits and we sit down and talk with them and they are all telling us the same things — China has had its day. Projects that were once going to Asia are now staying in North America. Most skilled jobs are going to the Midwest and the Southeast. We want to bring these jobs here. We want to get our share and take half of the share from the Midwest. We have to be greedy.”
After Higgins’ speech, Best Practice Awards were presented to 4-County Electric Power Association, Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle and Paccar. The Director’s Award was presented by Dr. Raj Shaunak, vice president of EMCC Workforce and Community Services and American Eurocopter.
“American Eurocopter could have located anywhere in the world and they chose the Golden Triangle,” Shaunak said. “They are the catalyst for economic development in the area.”
Special recognition was given to Starkville-Oktibbeha Achieving Results and the Clay County Board of Supervisors.
Jeff Clark was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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