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RCAM officially joins Model City's Academic Village

Published November 19th, 2009 | 0 Comments

Matt Kisber, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, and RCAM manager Jeff Frazier tour the school after its grand opening Thursday. David Grace photo.

KINGSPORT — Another piece of the Academic Village puzzle fell into place Thursday afternoon with the official opening of the Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing in downtown Kingsport.

RCAM — located at the corner of Clinchfield and Main — is the result of a partnership between Domtar, Eastman Chemical Co. and Northeast State Community College.

The facility offers a number of higher education opportunities including three apprenticeship programs (Domtar’s maintenance and Eastman’s operator and lab analyst), an electromechanical degree, chemical process operator certificate, and two general technology programs (electrical and instrumentation, and mechanical).

“We’re very excited about what this facility has to offer and the benefits it will provide, not just to us, but to the community,” said Parker Smith, vice president of worldwide manufacturing at Eastman. “We were very pleased to be a part of this.”

The 27,000-square-foot facility includes eight labs for welding, process, electrical and instrumentation training; a study and testing center; computer lab; lecture room; and four smaller training rooms.

Charlie Floyd, vice president and mill manager for Domtar, called the RCAM a “truly remarkable facility” and one that will meet the work force needs of tomorrow for manufacturing and industry.

“It’s a design that contains the right balance of classrooms and labs, meeting areas and testing facilities,” Floyd said. “It has fully automated, state-of-the-art visual aids, welding areas including a complex fume removal system, pneumatics, a low-pressure steam supply, hydraulics, electronics and chemical operations.”

After recognizing the need to ensure a future supply of qualified workers, Domtar and Eastman broke ground on the facility in October 2008 and opened with its first students in August. Around 160 students are enrolled, though up to 200 could eventually attend.

Matt Kisber, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, attended Thursday’s grand opening, saying the RCAM is filling a vital need in the community.

“This facility will serve to differentiate this region in the competitive business location market by identifying and addressing industrial work force needs directly,” Kisber said. “RCAM is a distinctive asset that will lead to continued growth and innovation with exponential benefits and serve a valuable role in supporting the industry community that already calls this region home.”

To create the facility, Domtar provided the land, while Eastman contributed $2.7 million of its $15 million of state work force developments funds the company had received. In addition, the U.S. Department of Labor chipped in $1.9 million to pay for building equipment and scholarships.

As with the other higher education facilities in downtown, Northeast State will oversee the operations of the RCAM.

“This is another great example of what we can accomplish when you don’t mind who gets the credit. Everyone in this room has contributed to making this a part of an Academic Village,” Mayor Dennis Phillips said.

For the fall 2009 semester, Northeast State announced 146 newly awarded scholarships, which were provided by the Eastman Workforce Development Scholarship Fund. The fund grants an average of $500 to support students enrolled in the specified technical education degree or certificate program.

RCAM is the fourth higher education facility to open in downtown Kingsport in the past seven years.

The facility adds to the growing Academic Village concept city leaders envision the western side of downtown transforming into.

The fifth building in the Academic Village will be the Pal Barger School of Automotive Technology. The PBSAT will transform the Free Service Tire and Auto Center on Center Street into a facility housing Northeast State’s automotive services program. Pal Barger, owner of Pal’s Sudden Service, has agreed to donate $400,000 to Northeast State to purchase the Free Service building.

The program will encompass all aspects of auto body training — estimating, building and reconstruction, repair and painting.

Janice Gilliam, president of Northeast State, said the college is in the planning stage for renovating the Free Service building.

Gilliam said the new automotive technology facility should be open by next fall.

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