PR2013 Oct 22

For Immediate Release

Contact: Malena Cunningham

October 22, 2013

(205) 746-9942 strategicmedia@bellsouth.net

LAPP GROUP PARTNERS WITH SHELTON STATE

New Training Center to Benefit Students and Local Workforce

TUSCALOOSA (AL): A major international manufacturer has developed a state-of-the-art teaching

lab at Shelton State Community College. The Tuscaloosa-based two-year school is set to become the

first community college in the United States to partner with German based U.I. Lapp Group. With its

U.S. headquarters in New Jersey, Lapp is one of the world’s leading developers and manufacturers of

wire and cable technology.

On October 24, Andreas Lapp, Chairman of the Lapp Group, and members of his executive team will be

on campus for an inauguration event and “cable cutting” ceremony for the LAPP Center for Excellence

in Cable Technology at Shelton State Community College. Shelton State and the Lapp Group with the

support of the Tuscaloosa County Industrial Development Authority (TCIDA) are organizing the

inauguration event. The media are invited to attend the ceremony starting at 2:30 p.m. CST.

“The LAPP Center for Excellence in Cable Technology will be a wonderful addition to Shelton State

Community College, and we are extremely fortunate to partner with the Lapp Group in this endeavor,”

says interim President Joan Davis. “The facility will certainly enhance the College’s ability to

improve the lives of the people we serve.”

The LAPP Center is equipped with authentic Lapp manufactured high tech cables for students to use

in the Mechatronics, Industrial Electricity and Industrial Electronics disciplines. The company

will also supply a curriculum allowing students to train with the most up-to-date tools and

equipment in the cable industry. This major resource will also prepare students as they complete

their education and transition into the workplace.

“We are most thankful for the Lapp Group’s generosity and willingness to share their knowledge and

resources in the field of high tech cable technology,” says Steve Fair, Dean of Technical Services

at Shelton State.

“Through these Industry/Education partnerships we will continue to strengthen the workforce in West

Alabama,” according to Fair.

"The LAPP Center for Excellence in Cable technology represents a model of close collaboration

Between industry and technical training that will give the students chosen for the program a competitive

advantage in the global work place," says Dara Longgrear, Executive Director, Tuscaloosa County

Industrial Development Authority.

Governor Robert Bentley, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce Greg Canfield, State

Senator Gerald Allen and Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox are among the 150 government and business

leaders invited to participate in the inauguration event and tour the LAPP Center.

According to Mayor Maddox, "The LAPP Center will be a wonderful asset to Shelton State and to the

Tuscaloosa community. This partnership will advance not only cable technology but also student

knowledge through hands-on experience."

The inauguration and cable cutting event gets underway at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 24, at the

Shelton State Community College campus located on 9500 Old Greensboro Road. For more information on Shelton State Community College, go to www.sheltonstate.edu. For more information on the Lapp Group visit www.lappusa.com.

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