2002

\lf l L ECCC playing important role in communities it serves Businesses, industry profiting from college's programs.

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By ELIZABETH KIRKLAND MBJ Staff Writer

DECATUR - It's easy to see that the roles East Central Community College (ECCC) plays are important to business. industry and economic development in Newton County and surrounding coun– ues in East Central Mississippi. In Morton there is a learning cen– ter manned by the college at CraftCo Enterprises Inc. where various courses are offered, and in Louisville. Taylor Machine Works Inc. also benefits from ECCC. T he college recently unveiled tts new Productivity Enhancement Training lab at the Philadelphia– Neshoba County Vocational-Technical Center, a division of ECCC. Also, area employers in search of potential employees are being told to mark their calendars for Mar. 26 when ECCC

Special to 1M W.... tiloP ...,._..-_, East Cent ral Community College's Productivity Enhancement Tra1nl ng l:iio at the Phlladelphia-Neshoba County Vocational-Technical Center opened recently.

local communuy: :saJd Dr Phtl :Sutphin. pre·J~nt of EGCC. .. \\c·~ a1. o try1ng

holds its second-annual Bu:.ine<:s. Education and Healthcare Expo on the Decatur campus. "We're sening the needs of the

Vh.. u v .....erything from mv. mate– rial to the fintshed product a d e\ en– thing in between. · Shealy d II ~s a very skilled v.orlforC"e- Beca se of that, ECCC ts an 3S~et to Ta" lor Machine Works # ''They've ne\er turned us dov.n on a nything v.e',e 3sked them to do,.. Shealy said. Perhaps \\hat Shealy considers mo t important about ECCC though ts its sup– port of existi ng industry in the area. " T hey (ECCC) recognize that's the bac kbone o f the who le communi– ty," Shealy s aid. "They support us and are constantly trying to get us to stay up on anything we ne ed. They've been real helpful on he lping us to upgrade. Look at the importance of existing industry. You've got to take care of them (ex isting industry) fi rst and foremost." • Contact MBJ staff writer Elizabeth Kirkland at ekirkland@msbusiness.com or (601 ) 364-1042.