Video: Developers Invest in ‘Communiversity’

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LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) — “It gives you the basics. And when you can go into a new job and already have the basics down, the rest is easy.”

Nathan Beatty works at Airbus Helicopters. He says he owes his career to EMCC training.

“Coming from no background in aviation at all, to have a class you can go to actually understand the basic concepts. So to go through the course and learn the tools and drawings and all of that it helped me,” said Beatty.

That’s exactly what leaders at Golden Triangle Development Link and EMCC are pushing for. Tuesday, Lowndes County Supervisors committed $10 million over the next 15 years. The State and Federal government will chip in as much as $24 million.

“The project is going to be about $38 million, which will be a combination of state, local and federal funds as we anticipate. It will house all of the workforce development for EMCC for the 3 county region. And it will triple our base space we have currently at our training center. It will get more classroom space to do workforce development for this next set of industries we’re bringing in,” said Higgins, CEO of Golden Triangle Development LINK.

“What this facility does is to provide training, long and short term. But in addition to that provide academic programs that lead to associates degrees in a number of areas that have technology as the foundation,” said Malcolm Portera, former MSU President.

Developers say for an economy driven by technology, it’s a worthy investment.

“Manufacturing is neither dirty, nor damp, nor dangerous, and in our area, it’s not disappearing. It’s not the 4 d’s,” said Raj Shaunak, EMCC’s Vice President of Economic Development.

If the project’s fully funded by Clay, Oktibbeha and Lowndes County, construction could begin as early as next August on land near Golden Triangle Airport. The center could open by the fall of 2017. For people like Nathan Beatty, it’s an investment in the region’s people.

“Coming from me I can tell them how my experience was. And my experience it was very beneficial,” said Beatty.

The link will seek $2.5 million from Oktibbeha and $1 million from Clay County later this month.