The Grainger Foundation Supports Tennessee Technology Center at Elizabethton

Pictured from left to right David Baker, Student; Ronnie White, Millwright Instructor; Dean Blevins; Director, Tennessee Technology Center at Elizabethton; Randy Sexton, Branch Manager, W.W. Grainger, Inc; Eddie Pless, Assistant Director, Tennessee Technology Center at Elizabethton, and Richard Wilson, Student.  

The Grainger Foundation, Lake Forest, Illinois, recently donated $7,000 to the Tennessee Technology Center at Elizabethton in support of its mission to be the premiere provider of Workforce Development in Carter, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington Counties.

“This grant will be used as the genesis to build the Tennessee Technology Center at Elizabethton Foundation thereby funding  scholarships for students from a wide variety of backgrounds by providing training opportunities for those in need. It gives students the chance to come to a high quality institution that delivers hands-on training to include job-readiness skills for high demand high skill jobs.  The funding will allow us to attract more students from diverse backgrounds who seek a better way of life giving them a competitive edge that includes the “leadership soft skills” sought by today’s employers of our region. We stress the importance of good attendance and expected work habits in all of our training programs.  Community support and technical input are necessary to help us stay on the cutting edge of technological change in each program to meet the needs of local employers all the while preparing our students in the most affordable way possible,” said Dean Blevins, Director, Tennessee Technology Center at Elizabethton.  “We support our students by providing them with a low-cost, quality education, and making sure we assist with job placement once they graduate.  Without support from businesses like Grainger, this mission would be more challenging to accomplish. We are grateful to The Grainger Foundation for its generosity and partnership.”

This donation was recommended by Randy Sexton, Branch Manager of W.W. Grainger, Inc.’s Johnson City location.  Grainger has been a part of the Tri Cities business community for more than 25 years and is committed to helping the communities in which its employees and customers live and work.  “We are proud to recommend and support the programs offered by Tennessee Technology Center at Elizabethton”, said Sexton.  “We understand the need for training programs such as those offered by the Technology Center that provide a qualified workforce for our industrial community.”

W.W. Grainger, Inc. with 2009 sales of $6.2 billion is the leading broad line supplier of facilities maintenance products serving businesses and institutions in the United States and Canada, with an expanding presence in Japan, Mexico, India, China and Panama. Through a highly integrated network including branches, distribution centers and Web sites, Grainger's employees help customers get the job done. For more information about the company, visit www.grainger.com/investor.