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Grand Springs expansion adds 20 positions

Grand Springs President and CEO, Robert SmithGrand Springs expanded its bottled water facility in Alton to accommodate the packing requirements of a new customer, and added 20 employees as a result.

According to Grand Springs President and CEO Robert A. Smith, the Alkaline Water Company Inc. DBA Alkaline 88 and Grand Springs entered into a co-packing agreement that expands Alkaline 88’s footprint across the North Eastern United States. Read more.

Success Stories

  • LINDA HUTSON GREEN
  • Halifax County tourism programs get boost from state
  • Job growth continues in Southside Virginia
  • 51 high school students recognized in Career Tech Academy completion ceremony
  • Getting creative: GO TEC team forms at HCMS
  • South Boston hotel project receives another boost
  • IDA is honored for one of Virginia's top economic projects
  • Investing in their future: Hitachi Energy maintenance mechanic training program completers recognized
  • Rogers Heating & Cooling owner named Top 40 Under 40
  • ABB's submersible transformer inspection robot wins major industry award
  • SVHEC gets $500,000 for IT Academy
  • Students recognized at Halifax County School Board Meeting
  • SVHEC receives literacy grant
  • Training Completers Celebrated at SVHEC
  • Main Street South Boston earns national accreditation

Finding Success in Halifax County

SVHEC gets $500,000 for IT Academy

June 10, 2019

The Southern Virginia Higher Education Center was awarded a $500,000 tobacco grant on Thursday to expand its IT Academy, with the expectation of nearly tripling the pool of graduates who come out of the program ready to fill information technology positions in the area.

The grant by the Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission will pay for new instructors, four new courses, and a physical expansion to double the size of the IT Academy training area.

“We hope to begin hiring instructors in the fall and start class in the spring,” said Brenda Terry, chief financial and operations officer of the SVHEC.

The expansion aims to meet the increased demand for skilled workers by local businesses, particularly Microsoft, which operates a massive cloud computing complex in Mecklenburg County. Microsoft has committed about $200,000 to the project, and has made other, prior contributions — donating old equipment, providing scholarships for students, and even setting up a program whereby its data center employees can volunteer at the IT Academy.

“We appreciate the continued support of the Tobacco Commission and Microsoft,” said Kelly Shotwell, who serves as the program coordinator and as a trainer at the IT Academy.

The bulk of the Tobacco Commission funding will go towards hiring and paying for three full-time staff positions, easing the burden from Shotwell, who is the only full-time employee tasked to the program. She hopes to hire two instructors and a lab technician to help set up the hands-on labs that the students must complete to earn their certifications.

Contact Us

1100 Confroy Drive, Suite 1
South Boston, Virginia 24592

Phone: 434-572-1734
Fax: 434-572-1762
Email:  info@halifaxvirginia.com

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