News

The McDonald County Chamber of Commerce is positioning itself for long-term planning and driving growth for future success. McDonald County is in a prime spot as the I-49 corridor develops. The county has a great incentive foundation, Sanders said, with a low property tax rate and a Work Ready Community status.

Worldwide demand for semiconductor wafers led to the expansion of Global Foundaries and Global Wafers at O'Fallon, Missouri in the WRC of St. Charles County. These wafers will be used to create feature-rich semiconductor solutions to meet the sharply growing demand for GF’s advanced RF technologies across a range of applications including 5G smartphones, wireless connectivity, automotive radar, and aerospace.

Roseburg Forest Products, an innovative U.S. forest products manufacturer, will create 137 new jobs in the certified Work Ready Community of Halifax County. The company will invest a total of $200 million to develop a sustainable high-tech sawmill operation in the Town of Weldon.

The Clarksdale Municipal School District was awarded close to $60,000 in grant funding to promote digital learning and the implementation of career academies aimed at increasing career readiness and enhancing Clarksdale’s workforce.

According to the new guidance, in order to qualify for early release, students must meet all College and Career Readiness Benchmarks (including ACT sub scores of 17 in English and 19 in Math) or have earned a Silver level on ACT WorkKeys test.

The St. John Valley Technology Center just improved upon its Heavy Equipment Construction Operation program with a Sterling 8500 dump truck donated by Daigle and Houghton of Fort Kent. Through the program, students have the opportunity to pursue an ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) at the Silver level. 

Greene County became Tennessee's 19th county to earn the Work Ready Communities certification. In a feature published by the Greeneville Sun newspaper, Greene Technology Center Principal Randy Wells noted that the center tested 92 employees from John Deere in June.

The Miami Area Economic Development Service, Inc. is proud to welcome Communication Solutions, LLC to Miami, Oklahoma. Communication Solutions, LLC is a premier provider of Business-to-Business and Business-to-Consumer Call Center Services. Miami will be their sixth location and Communications Solutions is a WorkKeys supporting employer

“I think the Work Ready certification demonstrated something we here in the Golden Triangle are particularly good at: Teamwork around an initiative,” noted Macaulay Whitaker, COO. “We had to have everybody involved to make it work: The LINK, EMCC, community leaders, county and city government and the high schools. Establishing WorkKeys as a tool at every level was a big part of that.”

This year’s South Monroe County Community Fund grants will help provide for a number of areas, ranging from dash cams and vests for law enforcement to ACT and WorkKeys opportunities for students.