Alexander, Corker, D. Davis: City of Kingsport Receives $1.5 Million Workforce Development Grant
June 13th, 2008 – WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn) and Bob Corker (R-Tenn) and U.S. Representative David Davis (R-Tenn.) today responded to the announcement from the Economic Development Administration (EDA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce that the City of Kingsport has been awarded $1.5 million in grant funding to support construction of the Kingsport Higher Education Center, a workforce development training facility. The center, which will be built in accordance with the United States Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards for environmentally friendly and energy efficient construction, will help train workers in the high tech fields of the 21st-century global economy. According to information released by the EDA, this funding will aid in the creation of 714 jobs and help leverage $530 million in private investment.
“It’s important that we keep jobs like these here in America and keep them from going overseas,” Alexander said. “This funding will help build an important training center in Kingsport so that we can train high-tech workers in Kingsport and maintain competitiveness in east Tennessee. By creating over 700 jobs and bringing in private money, this grant will bring a much needed boost to the local economy. I’m glad to see this education center coming to Kingsport, and that it’s being built in a way that’s energy efficient and environmentally friendly.”
“At a time when the competition for skilled labor is growing, this type of investment in Tennessee’s workforce will help keep good, high paying jobs right here in our state,” Corker said. “This facility will not only benefit our state’s economy, but it will meet new standards for clean, energy efficient construction, which will help our country become more energy secure. I thank the Department of Commerce for supporting economic development in Tennessee, and I will continue working with my colleagues in the Tennessee delegation to promote job creation policies.”
“I thank the U.S. Department of Commerce for investing in East Tennessee and the City of Kingsport. Not only will the construction of the Kingsport Higher Education Center create over 700 jobs for the Tri-Cities area, it is being built in an environmentally friendly and energy efficient way that will meet the United States Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards.”
EDA provides Public Works investments to help communities and regions revitalize, expand, and upgrade their physical infrastructure to attract new industry, encourage business expansion, diversify local economies, and generate or retain long-term private sector jobs and investment.
The official announcement from the EDA is available at: https://gns.ocs.doc.gov/public/ViewMessage.cfm?MsgID=azuv95k3aw
