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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