Tag Archive for: #vancecountynews

VGCC Succeeds By Going ‘All-In’ for CDL

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

The new Truck Driver Training class that began at Vance-Granville Community College in early February 2020 is full to capacity, with demand even greater than the college could accommodate. That is due not only to the growing need for qualified commercial truck drivers with a Class A commercial driver’s license (CDL) but also to a highly successful enrollment marketing campaign.

Above: Students listen during the classroom instruction portion of VGCC’s CDL/Truck Driver Training program. (VGCC photo)

A team of VGCC staff from numerous departments collaborated in creative ways to design, coordinate and implement several strategies, ranging from the traditional — signs placed in the ground around the community, a press release and print advertising — to the more high-tech social media and video advertising.

“This success demonstrates the power of partnership – including not only our own VGCC professionals but also employers in the community and workforce development partners,” said VGCC President Dr. Rachel Desmarais. “We went ‘all-in.’ Our students and our community will benefit from this new program, along with all the other valuable education and training programs that we continue to provide.”

Students started the process of completing the CDL credential by attending an orientation session on Jan. 23. Lead instructor Roger Chester gave the students information on the requirements of the nine-week program. Meanwhile, to connect the training to careers, seven local employers set up information tables. “They took the time to speak with students about employment prospects in CDL and trucking at their respective locations,” said VGCC Director of Occupational Extension Kyle Burwell.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for qualified commercial truck drivers is expected to grow by 21 percent through 2020, and trucking companies actively seek quality student drivers right out of programs like this one. “The logistics experts estimate a national shortage of over 50,000 drivers,” added Ronald Bennett, Director of Transportation for Variety Wholesalers, Inc., located in VGCC’s service area. “Variety Wholesalers, as well as other area businesses, will certainly benefit from this program.”

Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will have the opportunity to be employed by commercial trucking companies, become an owner-operator, or take advantage of local jobs. This Truck Driver Training program is certified by the Professional Truck Driver Institute (PTDI). VGCC offers the program in collaboration with Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute, a sister institution of the N.C. Community College System.

“Our Truck Driver Training program is an excellent example of how North Carolina community colleges connect students to fulfilling careers and provide a pipeline of qualified talent to employers,” said Jerry Edmonds, VGCC’s vice president of workforce and community engagement. “We’re responding to the region’s economic needs and providing easy access to low-cost, high-quality job training.”

The college plans to offer a second class starting in August.

For more information about enrolling in the Truck Driver Training program in the future, contact Kyle Burwell at burwellk@vgcc.edu or 252-738-3276, or Gina Brewer at brewerg@vgcc.edu or 252-738-3324.

Rebuilding Hope’s Servants on Site Summer Youth Program Already Filling Up

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-Information courtesy Rebuilding Hope, Inc. 

While the deadline for registering for Rebuilding Hope Inc.’s 2020 Servants on Site (SOS) is not until May 1, well over half of the 200 openings for participants have already been filled.

RHI coordinator Randolph Wilson reports that 176 early bird registrations have been received for the June 20 – 27 event and that a theme for the Servants on Site week has been chosen, “You Are Here.” The theme comes from the Bible verse Isaiah 41:10.

Encourage your youths to take part in this mission endeavor. If you know of any churches or youths you feel would be interested, call our office with contact information.

The cost is $150 per participant. Youths must have completed sixth grade. Keep in mind that for every five youths, we require one adult of the same sex.

Churches provide financial support to purchase materials that a crew will need for the work project at their worksite, and they provide lunches to the crew and homeowners during the week.

Crew partners could number as many as 15 participants from as many as eight of our different registered groups. The crew, and often the homeowner, worship with their sponsoring church on Sunday morning and have lunch with them afterward. This is the first time the crew members meet together as a crew. It is a great time for all the partners to begin knowing each other.

We expect the partnership of a sponsoring church, an SOS crew, and a homeowner to provide a rewarding experience for everyone. We have seen that the relationships that are built last beyond the week of SOS.

SOS will have worship services at Central Baptist Church at 7:30 p.m. Sunday through Friday, June 21 – June 26, with the exception of Wednesday. We hope many will join us as often as possible.

D.R.E.A.M. Fashion & Talent Showcase for Local Youth

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-Information courtesy Tara Goolsby, Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Program Superintendent, Aycock Recreation Center

Come out and support D.R.E.A.M. 2020 (Diverse Roles in Entertainment Arts and Music) Fashion and Talent Showcase being held on Saturday, March 21, 2020, from 6 – 9 p.m. in the E.M. Rollins Elementary School Auditorium.

The showcase is open to children and teenagers and will feature drama, dance, musical instruments, singing and fashion. The deadline to register is Wednesday, March 18.

Admission is $7 for ages 18 and older; $5 for children ages 6-17.

For more information, contact Crystal Allen with the Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Department at (252) 431-6091 or callen@ci.henderson.nc.us.

Town Talk 02/26/20: Cox, Burgess & Ellington Discuss Economy, Regional Summit

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

Diane Cox, executive director of the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments, and Michele Burgess, president of the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Wednesday at 11 a.m.

Cox and Burgess discussed last week’s Focus 20/20, the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments’ Economic Development Summit, held at the McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center in downtown Henderson. Participants included local government representatives, community leaders, business owners and professionals from Vance, Granville, Franklin, Warren and Person counties.

In response to Burgess thanking Kerr-Tar for hosting the summit, Cox responded, “It was a team effort. We were very fortunate to have not only our Kerr-Tar staff but also the economic development directors from the five counties that make up the Kerr-Tar region in addition to the five Chambers of Commerce, so it really was a collaborative effort.

With an agenda arranged into multiple “acts,” playing on the performing arts venue, discussions included the importance of investing in infrastructure, adapting with the times, advancing entrepreneurship and promoting workforce development.

Cox said the segment on workforce development as presented by Dawn Michelle Tucker, Dean of Continuing Education and College & Career Readiness at Vance-Granville Community College, particularly resonated with her.

“We know we have a workforce issue; workforce is an issue nation-wide. With the economy being as strong as it is now, having enough workers, especially skilled workers, is a big issue.

Working with VGCC, the Kerr-Tar Workforce Development Board and the school systems, we are actively trying to address the workforce issue.”

Burgess said President and CEO of NC IDEA Thom Ruhe’s presentation on changing the workforce mindset opened her eyes to the prevailing issue of employee disengagement and how negatively that affects community progress and development.

“He gave some of the following workplace statistics: 35 percent of the workforce is actively engaged – they show up every day, and put in work for the betterment of the company. Fifty-two percent of the workforce is not engaged at all. These are the employees he called ‘TGIF’ers’ (Thank God It’s Friday). Then there is 13 percent of the workforce actively disengaged, who actually cause problems when they show up for work.”

Burgess also discussed another takeaway from the summit, the importance of embracing and attracting young people to a community.

“The younger generation is looking at a community to see what’s there, to see if they have a fun downtown and apartments that cater to a younger mindset. So, they are picking the town, moving to the town and then finding a job. This is different from what we are used to, which is people moving here because of a job transfer.”

Explaining that the trend among the younger generation is to move to small towns close to larger cities with more cultural opportunities, Burgess said Henderson is “on the cusp of all that; we’ve got great potential here.”

On Tuesday’s edition of Town Talk, Henderson Mayor Eddie Ellington discussed his participation and perspective of the summit, including the knowledge shared by keynote speaker Doug Griffiths, author of the bestselling book “13 Ways to Kill Your Community.”

Listing what not to do, as well as measures to right the path, Griffiths presented the following ways to ensure a lack of community growth and prosperity: don’t have quality water, don’t attract business, ignore your youth, deceive yourself about your real needs or values, shop elsewhere, don’t paint, don’t cooperate, live in the past, ignore your seniors, reject everything new, ignore outsiders, become complacent and don’t take responsibility.

“His discussion on failing to embrace people from the outside that have come into the community really stood out to me,” said Ellington. “People that have lived here and seen the ebbs and flows of the economy have a different view than people from the outside that come in, and that’s not a bad thing.”

Explaining that it takes both points of view to grow the economy, Ellington said he believes the positive attitude and commitment to community investment and improvement seen recently by those moving to Henderson can only lead to more positive outcomes for the area.

Please tune in to WIZS 100.1 FM/1450 AM tomorrow as guest Pam Hester, director of Vance County Tourism, wraps-up this week’s discussion on the local economy and the regional economic development summit.

To hear the interview with Cox and Burgess in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on the 02/26/20 Town Talk. For Ellington’s interview, click on the 02/25/20 Town Talk.

VCS to Hold District-Wide Family Engagement Night at Vance Co. Middle School

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-Information courtesy Vance County Schools

The Vance County Schools Family Resource Center will host a District-Wide Family Engagement Night at Vance County Middle School on Thursday, February 27, 2020, from 5:30 – 7 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided and childcare will be available for those age 12 and under.

Two sessions will be offered: “EOG & EOC Prep/Reducing Test Stress” and “Dealing With Peer Pressure/Bullying Uncovered.”

Don’t miss the special performance by VCS students.

Vance County Middle School is located at 293 Warrenton Road in Henderson.

VGCC Logo

VGCC Offering Free Entrepreneurship Training Retreat

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-Press Release, Vance-Granville Community College

The Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center, in partnership with the Economic Development Commissions and Chambers of Commerce of Franklin, Granville, Vance & Warren counties, is offering a FREE all-day entrepreneurship training retreat entitled “Fostering An Entrepreneurial Mindset: The Entrepreneur in Us All” on Thursday, March 12, 2020.

The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Granville County Expo Center located at 4185 US-15 in Oxford.

 This session features the well-known Ice House Entrepreneurship Training program based on the book “Who Owns the Ice House? Eight Life Lessons From An Unlikely Entrepreneur.” Inspired by the life story of Pulitzer nominee Clifton Taulbert and the life-changing influence of an unlikely entrepreneur, the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program is an experiential, problem-based learning program that immerses attendees in experiences that develop entrepreneurial skills and mindsets.  They will learn to:

  • Identify and Evaluate Opportunities That Others Overlook
  • Embrace an Entrepreneurial Mindset as a Life-Skill
  • Identify and Overcome Self-Limiting Beliefs
  • Take Imperfect Action to Test an Idea
  • Map Out an Opportunity Canvas and Share It
  • Interact With Local Entrepreneurs and Business Counselors

Local successful entrepreneurs will speak to the group during the lunch break to share some things about their personal stories and local chamber and economic development directors will be on hand to observe and talk with attendees as well.

Morning coffee, snacks and lunch will be provided and each participant will receive a copy of the “Who Owns the Ice House” book. To register, go to https://www.vgcc.edu/coned/small-business-center/#schedules and click on the class title.

This project received support through a grant from NC IDEA.

Town Talk 02/25/20

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Aycock Rec. Center to Offer Spring Water Aerobics

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Information courtesy Tara Goolsby, Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Program Superintendent, Aycock Recreation Center

The Aycock Recreation Center will offer spring water aerobics classes for both swimmers and non-swimmers from April 1 through June 30, 2020. Classes will not be held on April 10 or May 25.

Classes will combine low and high impact exercises with a focus on strength building, cardiovascular endurance, flexibility and having fun!

Classes will be offered Monday – Wednesday – Friday from 10:30 – 11:15 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.; Tuesday – Thursday from 7:15 to 8 p.m.

The cost is $1 for members and $2 for non-members.

Contact:

Lauren Newlin, Aquatics Program Supervisor

lnewlin@ci.henderson.nc.us ~ (252) 438-3160

Town Talk 02/24/20: Jarvis Discusses Focus 20/20 Economic Takeaways

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

Listen live to WIZS Town Talk on 100.1 FM/1450 AM at 11 a.m. all this week as Dennis Jarvis, director of the Henderson-Vance Economic Development Commission (Mon); Eddie Ellington, mayor of Henderson (Tues); Michele Burgess, president of the Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce and Diane Cox, executive director of the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments (Wed); and Pam Hester, director of Vance County Tourism (Thurs), discuss the local economy and last week’s regional economic development summit.

Dennis Jarvis, director of the Henderson-Vance Economic Development Commission, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Monday at 11 a.m.

The first in this week’s Town Talk series featuring community leaders, Jarvis addressed last Thursday’s Focus 20/20, the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments’ Economic Development Summit held at the McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center in downtown Henderson.

Despite the predicted snowy weather, Jarvis estimated over 300 attended the summit, including representatives from the Chamber of Commerce and the local governments of Vance, Granville, Franklin, Warren and Person counties.

“We had good participation regionally and great participation locally in the 27536 and 27537 zip codes,” said Jarvis.

Keynote speaker for the event was Doug Griffiths, author of the bestselling book, “13 Ways to Kill Your Community.” Griffiths works with communities across the US and Canada to identify and overcome challenges that prohibit sustainability and economic growth.

Among the takeaways from the event, Jarvis said Henderson and Vance County will need to respond proactively to a national decline in its three largest economic sectors: manufacturing, agriculture and healthcare. “There is a precipitous drop on the national and state level for these three sectors. We have to be cognizant moving forward of how we parlay this 10 years from now versus today.”

Jarvis said despite that challenge, both the service and retail sectors in Vance County have rebounded significantly in recent years as evidenced by the opening of Biscuitville, Sadie’s Coffee Corner, Planet Fitness, Aldi and Badcock Home Furniture, among others.

Starbucks, Harbor Freight Tools and Popeyes are also in the works for Henderson, with Popeyes and Harbor Freight slated for the old Henderson Mall location on Dabney Drive, according to Jarvis.

To hear the interview with Jarvis in its entirety, including more on the local economy and takeaways from the Focus 20/20 summit, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.

The Kingsmen & The Perrys to Perform Gospel Hits at McGregor Hall

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100.1 FM / 1450 AM WIZS; Local News broadcasts M-F 8am, 12pm, 5pm

-Information courtesy McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center

The Kingsmen and The Perrys, two gospel music greats, will be performing at McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center on Friday, March 20, 2020, at 7 p.m.

For more than half a century, no group has secured such a far-reaching legacy as The Kingsmen. Through the late 1970s and 1980s, they recorded hit after hit, including “Old Ship of Zion,” “Beautiful Home,” and “Saints Will Rise.” In 1981, “Excuses” became The Kingsmen’s biggest hit of the era, steady at number one for 18 months, making it the longest-running number-one song in Southern Gospel Music History.

If you have ever seen The Perrys in concert, you have undoubtedly sensed the power and conviction with which they sing. From the high-octane, hand-clapping hit, “I Wish I Could Have Been There,” to the anointed anthem, “If You Know Him,” the Dove Award-winning group has been delivering soul-stirring performances across North America for nearly five decades.

Tickets for this event may be purchased by:

DROP-IN: 201 Breckenridge Street, Henderson, N.C. Monday – Friday 1:30 – 5:30 p.m

CALL: (252) 598-0662 (M-F 1:30 – 5:30 p.m.)

CLICK HERE: www.McGregorHall.org  (Use the eTix official site, online fees apply)

(This is not a paid advertisement)