Vance-Granville Community College will receive an $11.5 million allocation in the 2023-2024 North Carolina State Budget to construct a center for advanced manufacturing in eastern Granville County thanks to an allocation request sponsored by Representative Frank Sossamon and supported by Representative Matthew Winslow. Rep. Sossamon represents NC House District 32, which currently covers most of Granville County and all of Vance County, while Rep. Winslow represents the remainder of Granville County and all of Franklin County in NC House District 7.
The generous allocation is a noteworthy accomplishment for Rep. Sossamon’s freshman congressional term.
“I’m so grateful we’re able to get this across the finish line,” he said. “[I kept telling the House Appropriations Committee], ‘Vance and Granville, Granville and Vance’—any way you want to say it, but don’t forget those two.”
The request also received bipartisan support from Senator Mary Wills Bode (NC Senate District 18), who represents Granville County and part of Wake County.
“Granville County is certainly on the map,” observed Senator Bode. “This is a real testament to all of us growing in the same direction and delivering for a very deserving [region].”
A major milestone reached
Granville County Economic Development, the Triangle North Board, and Kerr-Tar Council of Governments have joined to set aside 15 acres in the Triangle North Granville business park for the project near Interstate 85. Granville County and VGCC’s Board of Trustees have allocated additional construction funding.
“We’ve been trying this for seven years, actively trying to get a center for advanced manufacturing,” noted VGCC President Dr. Rachel Desmarais. “This building may be the first in this park, signaling the park and the community’s collective dedication to being open for business. It also embodies our collaborative approach in bringing multiple counties, economic developers, educational institutions, for-profit businesses, and non-profit institutions together to positively contribute to our region’s economic and social wellbeing.”
An investment of this magnitude will send a powerful message to current and future manufacturing stakeholders that the region values the manufacturing sector, supports growth and innovation, and increases employee value. Known as the VGCC Applied Technical Center for Advanced Manufacturing, the facility will support industry training needs in the areas of industrial maintenance, mechatronics, electronics, welding, and fabrication; serve as an advanced manufacturing company recruitment benefit; and support collaborative high school and college career and technical education partnerships.
