th Annual Morrilton Chamber of Commerce Banquet and Award Ceremony held Monday, Nov. 4, the partnership between Green Bay Packaging’s Arkansas Kraft Division and Arkansas Tech University-Ozark Campus was named “Education Project of the Year.” Green Bay’s Gary Sams, manager of training and governmental affairs, accepted the award, which was presented by Marlin Boyle, chairman of the Morrilton Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and Miles Lacy, board chairman-elect. In January 2009, Green Bay and Arkansas Tech-Ozark formed a training site at 1100 E. Broadway St. in Morrilton for the purpose of educating Green Bay and regional-industry workers in industrial maintenance, electrical and instrumentation topics, such as electronics, mechanical drive systems and hydraulics for industrial applications. The site also houses Green Bay’s Fiber Resource Division. Also present for the ceremony held at Sacred Heart Catholic School were Bruce Sikes, Arkansas Tech-Ozark chancellor; and Ken Warden, Arkansas Tech-Ozark chief business and community outreach officer. Warden said, “We’re proud of our partnership with Green Bay and the resources this provides incumbent workers throughout the Arkansas River Valley. It is part of our campus’ mission to ensure industries remain viable and competitive in the global market.” Allan George with MAHLE Industries said, “The skills and education gained in completing these course requirements are a major factor in preparing our employees for a promotional opportunity … and we have made promotions as a result of this training.” Rick Smith with Bridgestone said the Morrilton training site has been a “confidence builder” for its employees. “I can truly say that I’ve seen very positive results,” Smith said. “The training has allowed me to challenge these guys by assigning them new work tasks that require them to apply their newly acquired skills.” Rhonda Prater with JW Aluminum said, “We have seen a better understanding from [training site participants] that allows us to assign them jobs that we may have not been suited to them in the past.” Keynote speakers for the event were Grant Tennile, executive director for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, and Will Rockefeller, U.S. Senate projects director. For more information about the Morrilton training site, contact Marci Gage at mgage@atu.edu or (479) 508-3371.
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Photo: Ken Warden, left, chief business and community outreach officer for Arkansas Tech-Ozark, and Gary Sams, manager of training and governmental affairs for Green Bay Packaging’s Arkansas Kraft Division, at the 86th Annual Morrilton Chamber of Commerce Banquet and Award Ceremony held Monday, Nov. 4, at Sacred Heart Catholic School in Morrilton. The partnership between Green Bay and Arkansas Tech-Ozark was named “Education Project of the Year.”]]>
