CONOVER, N.C. — April 3, 2023 — The Manufacturing Solutions Center (MSC) and the City of Conover hosted the public opening and ribbon cutting of the new MSC II building and the upfit MSC I building on March 30, 2023, with 265 people in attendance. Speakers at the event included MSC Director Jeff Neuville, Catawba Valley Community College President Dr. Garrett Hinshaw, Conover Mayor Kyle Hayman, Whiskbroom Executive Ingram Walters, and NC House Representative Jay Adams.
MSC Special Projects Director Tony Whitener was recognized during the presentation and cut the grand opening ribbon. Whitener was instrumental in the development and construction of the new building, as well as with the improvements to the existing MSC I facility.
The MSC II building is a public-private partnership between the City of Conover and private equity group Whiskbroom. The 75,000 square foot building contains four operating companies which graduated from the MSC business incubator and now reside in the Whiskbroom-owned portion of the building. The MSC portion of the building contains a Fabric Formation Lab, Best Practices Cut & Sew Line, Structural Engineering Testing Area, Prototyping Lab, PPE/Resource Textile Lab, and state of the art meeting and conference area for economic development activities which are available for industry and trade meetings.
The upfit MSC I building now contains PPE Testing and Product Development space to test the efficacy of masks, gowns, and other PPE products, in addition to expanded lab space and capabilities.
Funding for the project was made possible by an appropriation from the North Carolina State legislature and an investment by Whiskbroom. The NC Community College System and the Economic Development Administration provided grants for equipment.
The MSC is part of Catawba Valley Community College with a mission to help US manufacturers increase sales, improve quality and improve efficiency to create and retain US jobs. The Center has worked with over 3000 customers, representing all 50 states. Services include product development and prototyping support; testing textile and non-textile products and materials for reliable content and quality; providing workforce and industry training; connecting customers to domestic manufacturers and suppliers; and by providing an on-site incubator for manufacturing start-ups.
For more information about the Manufacturing Solutions Center, visit www.manufacturingsolutionscenter.org.
Posted: April 3, 2023
Source: Manufacturing Solutions Center
