Press Releases
For Further Information:
Brent Anderson
Evolve, Inc.
brent
evolveinc.com
(252) 754-2957
Dean Ervin
Southern Vinyl Manufacturing, LLC
(252) 523-2520
Southern Vinyl Manufacturing Receives Grant
Local Kinston Company to use Grant for Employee Training
KINSTON, N.C., June 1, 2005 — Southern Vinyl Manufacturing, LLC announced today that the company was awarded a $37,500 Incumbent Worker grant from the Eastern Carolina Workforce Development Board, Inc. located in New Bern, for training to support the companies' efforts in enhancing its employees' occupational and soft skills, increasing work productivity and business profitability.
Founded in 1997, Southern Vinyl is one of the largest independent fabricators of PVC fence and rail systems in the Carolinas. The company, which is based in Kinston, NC, will use the grant to train its 18 employees in a series of lean manufacturing events. The events will be conducted in conjunction with the North Carolina State University Industrial Extension Service Lean Enterprise Advancement Program.
Funding will allow Southern Vinyl to upgrade their employees manufacturing knowledge to include lean training, thereby increasing their potential to add value outside their specific job area. This will help to grow the business and to bring new product lines into the Kinston manufacturing facility.
“We are greatly honored to have received this grant from the Eastern Carolina Workforce Development Board,” stated Dean Ervin, co-owner of Southern Vinyl. “As a company born right here in Kinston, NC, we’re hoping that this grant will help grow our business so we can bring more jobs to eastern North Carolina.”
The Incumbent Worker program is cooperatively administered by the North Carolina Commission on Workforce Development, the Division of Employment and Training, and the State's twenty-four (24) Local Workforce Development Boards. The Incumbent Workforce Development grants are awarded to businesses faced with the challenge of upgrading worker skills to enhance company productivity and the potential for company growth. The North Carolina Incumbent Workforce Development Program serves the interest of both the State's employers and their employees by supporting access to high-quality, market-driven education and skill training.
Through the program, established North Carolina businesses are provided funding to train current workers in new and/or upgraded skills. The program is designed to benefit businesses by enhancing the skills of employees, thereby increasing employee productivity and the potential for company growth. Training in portable skills results in a more highly skilled and versatile workforce that contributes to North Carolina's ability to attract new businesses and creates an environment conducive to expansion of existing businesses.
