Peachtree – Tri-County Community College has a secondary purpose besides offering classes, degrees and certifications. It also supports economic development in Cherokee, Clay and Graham counties.
For the first time in decades, all three counties are involved in major industrial expansions. Tri-County is involved in all three, and all three will drive job growth in the region and require the college’s assistance to train the workforce.
The college’s Economic & Workforce Development efforts are centered at the Cherokee County Center for Applied Technology in Marble, housing workshop, classroom, and office space for a wide range of training and degree programs focused on workforce and economic development.
Paul Worley, vice president of economic and workforce development at the college, said the three biggest projects are distinctly different from each other and will provide a variety of job opportunities for the local workforce.
Cherokee County
Core Scientific, which is in the process of being acquired by CoreWeave, is converting and expanding its large plant in Marble from bitcoin mining to support for artificial intelligence. The 250,000-square-foot factory once produced thread for garments before converting to industrial-strength crypto mining.
Plant manager Jack Lewis said the switch to AI requires a “significantly larger number of employees” that will outstep the plant’s own water and wastewater facilities, requiring the facility to connect to municipal water from Marble and sewer services from Andrews.
Neither of those providers have consummated deals with Core Scientific, but work continues on reconfiguring the plant.
When Lewis appeared at the Dec. 12 Andrews Board of Aldermen meeting to request town sewer service, he said the expansion will make the Marble plant part of a supercomputer system that is “one of the biggest AI systems in the world.”
Lewis did not go into details but said he could offer more specific information to the town board in closed session. He did say Core Scientific has spent $2 million on the expansion by that point, but it has spent a great deal more since then.
Worley estimates there are 1,000 people on site for construction work, with the college providing skills training for electrical wiring, backup generator support, etc.
Infrastructure at the facility was sufficient to support 382 employees the last year it was an American Thread plant in 2015. The number of employees there when it was a crypto mine is not publicly available, but it was adequately served.
Clay County
Amazon is building a warehouse and distribution center on a 19.7-acre parcel in Clay County Industrial Park off McDonald Road in Clay County. Amazon.com LLC closed on the property, which is zoned industrial, in February.
The potential investment in building a large facility within the Industrial Park could drive tremendous revenue to the county and surrounding areas while also creating numerous jobs, according to the Clay County Board of Commissioners.
The potential purchaser’s proposal could result in up to 10 full-time jobs and a 100 or more part-time positions. An additional 100 or more jobs would be created by contracting out additional services with a third party.
Wages are anticipated to meet or exceed the median average wage in the county of $20.50 per hour, according to the resolution to move forward with the sale.
Worley said the facility will require 150 truck drivers, with Tri-County Community College providing commercial driver license training for much of that workforce.
Graham County
The former Stanley Furniture plant in Robbinsville – more recently Oak Valley Hardwoods – will undergo $80.5 million in investments to house an EcoKing Solutions manufacturing plant, creating hundreds of jobs and providing a huge boost to the regional economy.
The China-based manufacturer is establishing its first U.S. plant, EcoKing Solutions, and will invest $80.5 million locally over the next five years. The company has already launched a $21 million remodel on the location, with labor coming from companies in western North Carolina.
EcoKing specializes in eco-friendly, biodegradable pulp tableware (plates, bowls and trays) and food packaging containers. Restaurants including Chick-fil-A and Chipotle utilize EcoKing’s to-go containers.
Once open, EcoKing will create 300 jobs, rocketing it to the top of the list for employers in Graham County. The company’s projected average salary for employees of $46,700 is slightly higher than the county’s median rate of $46,628 and, once fully operational, the number of jobs could expand to 515 and an annual payroll of $14 million.
The building once housed Stanley Furniture, where residents throughout the region made careers until its closing in 2014 forced 400 employees out of work.
Tri-County Community College is providing workforce training including recruitment strategies, pre-employment training and “customized skills development programs.”
Tri-County’s other projects
Tri-County Community College, through a grant from Dogwood Health, is building 17 homes, each on 0.6-acre lots, on a new cut de sac called Pile Creek Road off Old Robbinsville Road near Andrews.
The property was acquired through the college’s foundation and subdivided into the 17 lots. Called the Dogwood Home Building Project, foundations are being laid, infrastructure installed and framing expected to begin on the first three houses in the fall.
Worley said the houses will have septic systems and municipal water. The project provides Tri-County Community College students with hands-on residential construction experience as part of their technical education.
The college is also expanding its Culinary Arts Program, including fundamental culinary skills, classical French cuisine, baking and cake decorating.
The college’s workforce initiatives are “directly aligning education with regional employment needs,” according to an update presented to the college’s Board of Trustees on Aug. 21.
“From future training on anticipated 300-500 new hires in Graham County to expanding culinary offerings and high school career pathways, the college is actively building tomorrow’s workforce,” according to the update.