VGCC Announces New Corporate Campus in Hub
On March 27, the board that governs the Kerr-Tar Hub signed an agreement to partner with the Vance-Granville Community College Board of Trustees to establish a new VGCC corporate campus in the Kerr-Tar Hub.
The Kerr-Tar Regional Economic Development Corporation board voted at its March 20 meeting to begin planning with VGCC for a potential new corporate education and training facility located at the Kerr-Tar Hub’s 300-acre Vance County site, also known as Triangle North Vance. The Hub site is located along Interstate 85, across from the college’s main campus.
When constructed, the Corporate Education Center could provide space for some of the college’s technical programs. The new center is included in VGCC’s new Facilities Master Plan, which projects how the college might grow over the next ten years. VGCC President Randy Parker noted that any growth or expansion will be contingent on support from local counties, who provide funding for facilities.
“We are excited about the possibilities that this new facility offers the college and our area,” Parker said. “The new Corporate Education Center would house the college’s business and industry services programs, and would allow us to increase our program offerings for local businesses.” He added that it would also house a biotech incubator for start-ups in the biotechnology industry. In addition, the facility would serve as a state-of-the-art recruiting center for drawing potential clients to any of the four Kerr-Tar Hub sites.
While companies are in the process of relocating to the four-county area, they could use the center’s flexible industrial training space to train employees on industry-specific equipment. Offices for economic developers and for new companies transitioning to our area would also be available. “In essence, this new Corporate Education Center would be a key focal point for our four counties’ economic development efforts,” said Parker.
“This new endeavor builds on Vance-Granville’s tradition of being a key player in economic development, by working in partnership with businesses and local governments,” said VGCC Board of Trustees chair Donald C. Seifert, Sr. of Henderson.
The Kerr-Tar Hub, recently renamed “Triangle North,” is an award-winning and innovative rural economic development initiative. The Hub was created through a unique multi-county collaboration and cost-sharing arrangement in order to spark economic growth and opportunity in the Kerr-Tar region (Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties). Triangle North is developing a network of specialized industrial parks in each county, which offer shovel-ready sites at affordable prices for companies that want to locate or expand there.
The Kerr-Tar Hub was envisioned as a continually innovating partnership between business and education, facilitated by local governments working together. Leaders from the four counties officially endorsed the Hub at a ceremony held in December 2005 at VGCC’s main campus. VGCC’s workforce training and education programs for businesses that locate in the area are central to the Kerr-Tar Hub model.
The Kerr-Tar Council of Governments coordinated the development of the hub and now serves as project administrator. The Kerr-Tar Regional Economic Development Corporation board, which includes representatives of the four participating county governments, is chaired by Vance County Commissioner Danny Wright.
“The synergy that will be created by this partnership with VGCC and the Hub Corporation bodes well for our region’s economic future,” Wright said. “Jobs are the lifeblood of any community and having job training capabilities on the grounds of the Vance Hub site is such a valuable tool for recruitment. Collaborating with the prestigious and widely heralded community college system of North Carolina will be a tremendous boost to the Hub’s efforts to improve the quality of life for our citizens.”
For more information on Triangle North, visit its Web site (http://www.trianglenorthNC.org/ ).
Above: Vance County Commissioner Danny Wright (seated, center), the chairman of the Kerr-Tar Regional Economic Development Corporation, signs an agreement to partner with Vance-Granville Community College to establish a new VGCC corporate education and training facility located at the Kerr-Tar Hub’s Vance County site. Looking on in the board room on the college’s main campus are (seated, left) VGCC President Randy Parker, (seated, right) VGCC Board of Trustees chairman Donald C. Seifert, Sr., (standing, from left) Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments executive director Timothy Baynes and VGCC trustees John Foster of Henderson and David Brooks of Oxford. (VGCC photo)
