4/1/09 - Renewable Energies Symposium Brings a Shift in Manufacturing Focus
Renewable Energies Symposium Brings a Shift in Manufacturing Focus
Forest City, NC – On March 19th the Rutherford County Economic Development Commission and Isothermal Community College hosted a symposium which brought together local existing businesses to discuss opportunities for manufacturing component products for the Renewable Energies market. This event gave local manufacturers an opportunity to learn about new product development in a rapidly growing market segment.
Last fall Tom Johnson, Economic Developer for Rutherford County, attended a statewide Workforce Development Conference and heard a presentation from Jason Hoyle, with the Appalachian State University Energy Center, about opportunities for jobs in the alternative energy economic sector. After the presentation it was learned that research done by the Energy Center identified tremendous voids in the United States regarding component manufacturing for items such as windmill parts, solar panel parts, and other similar areas. Mike Saunders and Tom Johnson went to Boone and discussed the idea of a symposium focused on Rutherford County manufacturers about opportunities to fill these voids. This resulted in the Forum held on March 19th at Isothermal Community College and attended by about 30 people.
Regarding the purpose of the symposium Johnson stated, "In the United States manufacturing has been in decline for the last several months in several sectors, however the manufacturer of alternative energy component parts has remained strong and we wanted to share potential opportunities with local companies. We did have a good cross section of individuals from the manufacturing sector and other interested parties attend this event and follow-up is currently underway to access further opportunities that exist."
Both Jason Hoyle, a research analyst and Quint David, program staff, spoke at the Symposium and gave tremendous insight into the current focus of the Energy Center. Local industries had the opportunity to look at samples of possible manufacturing parts as well as discuss their own interests in this sector and where they feel they are best situated to expand into new product development.
One of the attendees at the Symposium was Randy Smith, plant manager at Thieman Metal Technologies. He stated that, "the forum concerning Renewable Energy was positive on several levels, as technology changes, industry has to stay abreast of these changes to remain viable. The forum provided the vehicle for Thieman Metal Technologies to tap into this emerging technology and we found through this experience that many components required in Renewable Energy are a perfect fit for our capabilities. Secondly, we believe that this forum is the first of many we should continue to have between Industry, Government, and Education to grow Rutherford County. It is imperative that we work in conjunction with each other to provide a bright future for the up and coming leaders in this county."
The Energy Center at Appalachian State University was established in 2001 to conduct energy research and applied program activities in a multi-disciplinary environment. According to their website (www.energy.appstate.edu), the Center, working through faculty, staff and students, has programs in the areas of energy efficiency, renewable energy technology, biofuels, policy analysis, forecasting, and economic development.
Mike Saunders with Isothermal Community College also stated that "it was interesting to know that Rutherford County was positioned 4th in the state strategically for supplying the materials like plastics, metal fabrication bearings and etc. to companies that need the component parts for their alternative energy products like solar panels and wind mills. The alternative energy area appears to be an industry with the highest growth and highest demand."
Rutherford County has a population of 63,000 and is located in the foothills of Western North Carolina. With a strong economy and workforce, Rutherford County is well poised for industrial and commercial growth. The Economic Development office includes four staff focused on industrial recruitment, existing industry, marketing, commercial development, research and analysis, and administration.
Rutherford County Economic Development Commission
Tom Johnson, Economic Developer
142 E. Main Street, Forest City, NC 28043
(828) 248-1716, (828) 248-1771 FAX
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