W
Kawneer & BRCC: A Community Partnership
Jared Jenkins graduated from BRCC in 2007 with a degree in Computer & Electronics Technology. He has been a drafter at Kawneer for 5 years.
With a connection that spans decades, Kawneer and Blue Ridge Community College continue to work together to benefit each other, and the Valley community. “Before I started at Kawneer, in May of 1984, there was already a well-developed relationship between Kawneer and Blue Ridge Community College,” said Kawneer employee Phil Hall. “BRCC graduates come to the workplace with the perfect combination of skills allowing them to quickly become productive members of our team.” In fact, there are currently 29 BRCC alumni working at Kawneer, making up nearly 40% of the total workforce. Skills such as 3D viewing capability and the discipline of an engineeringlike background – most have associate’s degrees in Mechanical Design – make them successful employees. Duane Painter, Contracts Manager at Kawneer, says that hiring local talent is something he likes to do. “It gives us a hometown feel,” he explained, adding that the BRCC graduates also provide good customer service. When Kawneer needs additional or new training for its incumbent workers, the company turns to Blue Ridge. “We’ve sent several employees for non-credit training in leadership skills,” said Painter. Both Phil and Duane are BRCC grads themselves, having received degrees in Mechanical Design Technology. The Kawneer-BRCC relationship isn’t limited to just employment and training. “Our relationship with Kawneer extends all the way back to the ‘80s when they first invested in Blue Ridge students through the BRCC Educational Foundation,” explained Amy Laser Kiger, executive director of BRCC Educational Foundation. She added, “Their recent support of the Student Outreach and Resource (SOAR) Center now makes an important difference in our ability to provide emergency financial assistance to students in need. We are fortunate to have partners like Kawneer in our community!” With the support of their parent company – Alcoa – Kawneer has donated both time and resources. A 2012 action grant provided for 40 hours of volunteer services to the SOAR Center and $3,000 this past fall, and an Alcoa Foundation grant for $15,000 was awarded to the Blue Ridge in 2011. “Our willingness to volunteer at and support BRCC is simply a way of expressing our thankfulness,” said Hall. During the 2011-12 academic year, the BRCC SOAR Center used combined resources from the Alcoa Foundation grant and the BRCC Educational Foundation to award a record $15,322.19 to help 21 students weather financial crises. Most expenditures helped cover housing costs, with other aid provided for utility payments, gas vouchers, textbooks, tuition, and car repairs. In addition to meeting emergency financial needs, the SOAR Center used Alcoa Foundation funding to purchase personal finance books and CDs; pay three credits of tuition for eight Alcoa Project students who met grade criteria; and provide an online continuing education personal finance course. Of the 16 Alcoa Project students, 87.5% enrolled in at least one subsequent semester after receiving assistance, and three have graduated from BRCC. The SOAR Center, which began as the Women’s Resource Center in 1989 as a community outreach effort, shifted its approach in the mid-1990s to meet the needs of BRCC credit students through support groups, seminars, and occasional monetary assistance for students who hit financial roadblocks. Since 1999, the SOAR Center has provided over $70,000 in temporary emergency financial assistance to over 150 male and female students.
Volunteers Cindy Bolin, Cassandra Frysinger, David Shenk, Doug Hendricks, Lawrence Soto, Bob Rees, Kim Malamphy, John Wheelbarger, Phil Hall, and Duane Painter helped to inventory the SOAR Center library, clean book shelves, organize books by author and category, and catalog books in October 2012.