May 22, 2016

Salute to Industry
A Force of Industry

Dr. Raj Shaunak and EMCCs manufacturing and technology training programs......10

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SALUTE TO INDUSTRY

 SALUTE TO INDUSTRY

On the cover: Dr. Raj Shaunak, Vice President of East Mississippi

Community Colleges Manufacturing, Technology and
Engineering Division

ADVERTISER INDEX
4-County Electric Power Association...................................................... 20
Airbus Helicopters................................................................................... 2
Baldor Electric Co.................................................................................. 17
Baptist Memorial Hospital Golden Triangle.......................................... 9
Burkhalter Rigging.................................................................................... 5
Burns Dirt Construction......................................................................... 18
Cash & Carry Building Supply................................................................ 15
Clark Beverage Group............................................................................ 14
Columbus Brick Company...................................................................... 23
Columbus Lowndes Chamber of Commerce............................................. 6
Columbus Light & Water.......................................................................... 7
The Clinic at Elm Lake.............................................................................. 9
DPM Fragrance...................................................................................... 15
East Mississippi Community College....................................................... 13
Ecolab................................................................................................... 14
Electric Motor Sales & Service................................................................ 14
Eutaw Construction.................................................................................. 9
Evans Plumbing & Air Conditioning........................................................ 14
Falcon Lair............................................................................................. 15
Industrial Fire Protection........................................................................ 18
Galloway-Chandler-McKinney Insurance.................................................. 4
The Golden Triangle Development LINK.................................................. 3
Golden Triangle Regional Airport............................................................. 4
Greater Starkville Development Partnership............................................ 19
Gulf States............................................................................................. 11
Mid-South Signs....................................................................................... 6
Mississippi Steel Processing.................................................................... 23
Mississippi University for Women........................................................... 19
Monroe Tufline...................................................................................... 12
Neel-Schaffer........................................................................................... 4
Newell Paper Company........................................................................... 6
PACCAR Engine Company....................................................................... 7
Premier Ford............................................................................................ 5
Puckett-McGee Electric Supply................................................................ 4
Royal Truck............................................................................................ 15
Southwire.............................................................................................. 23
Steel Dynamics...................................................................................... 20
Superior Catfish Products....................................................................... 23
Tronox..................................................................................................... 8
USA Electrical Sales............................................................................... 18
Valmet................................................................................................... 24
Waste Pro USA........................................................................................ 6
West Point Growth Alliance..................................................................... 9
Weyerhaeuser........................................................................................ 12
Wheeler Roofing.................................................................................... 18
Yokohama Tire Manufacturing Mississippi............................................... 11

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SALUTE TO INDUSTRY

Galloway-Chandler-McKinney

is your trusted business partner.

Your business is your livelihood.
Let us help you protect it.
Were part of your civic clubs,
your kids teams, your churches
and your neighborhoods.
Who better to take care of your
business when you really need it?

William
Kyle

Chandler

Hilbun

Brandt

Galloway

Columbus Starkville West Point Amory Aberdeen

www.gcminsurance.com

Connecting North Mississippi

to the World

Puckett-McGee
Electric Supply

A LOCALLY-OWNED ELECTRICAL SUPPLY COMPANY

for over 80 years

So, you CAN get there

(or there or there) from here.
GTR Airport is the only airport in North Mississippi still providing worldwide connections.
Located close to home with nearby parking, convenient check-in and free Wi-Fi,
GTR Airport is whats right about travel.

Golden Triangle
Regional Airport
WWW.GTRA.COM

We salute local industries

for their hard work
and dedication.

For your patronage,

we say thank you.
James Gibson, Owner
715 6th Street South, Columbus, MS 39701
662-328-5151 Fax 662-329-1842

The Dispatch

SQUARE D
PREMIER
DISTRIBUTOR

 SALUTE TO INDUSTRY

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SUNDAY, MAY 22, 2016

Proudly Building Quality Engines

in Columbus since 2010
MX-13

MX-11

PACCAR is a global technology leader in the design, manufacture and customer support of high-quality light-, medium-, and heavy-duty trucks under the Kenworth, Peterbilt and DAF nameplates. PACCAR also designs
and manufactures advanced diesel engines, provides financial services and information technology, and distributes truck parts related to its principal business. PACCAR shares are listed on Nasdaq Global Select Market,
symbol PCAR. Its homepage is www.paccar.com.

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SUNDAY, MAY 22, 2016

The Clinic at
Elm Lake

CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, INC.

Personalized Medical Care for a Healthy, Happy, Strong YOU!

PROUD TO BE
APART OF OUR
LOCAL INDUSTRY

We are proud
supporters of local
industry and workers.
Certified DOT Medical Examiners

Stephanie M. Gale
CFNP

CALL FOR A SAME DAY APPOINTMENT

WORK CARE & PRIMARY CARE
662.240.9999
3700 North Frontage Road Columbus, MS
www.elmlakeclinic.com

109 W. Commerce Street Aberdeen, MS

(662)369-8868 www.eutawconstruction.com
The Dispatch

Equal Opportunity Employer

Building stronger
communities together.
As the largest regional hospital in the
Baptist Memorial Health Care system,
and one of Golden Triangles largest
employers, Baptist Golden Triangle
believes in delivering advanced health

The Dispatch

Proudly
Supporting
Golden Triangle
Industry.

care as much as sustaining healthier

communities.

We

value

our

local

industries and salute those who work

hard to build stronger communities.
Get Better with Baptist.

goldentriangle.baptistonline.org

800-544-8762

Get Better.

West Point/Clay County Growth Alliance

510 East Broad Street West Point, MS
662-494-5121

The Dispatch

Revealing West Points Potential

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SALUTE TO INDUSTRY

A FORCE OF INDUSTRY
By ISABELLE ALTMAN | ialtman@cdispatch.com

EMCC: Where training and opportunity meet

hen Raj Shaunak started working for East
Mississippi Community College in 1993, the
Golden Triangle had yet to see thousands of
manufacturing jobs become available through training and
investing by international companies. But thanks partly to
Shaunak, that would change within 20 years.
The Vice President of East Mississippi Community
Colleges Manufacturing, Technology and Engineering
Division has lived in the Golden Triangle since 1972
when he moved to Starkville. Since then, he has started
his own business, raised two children, along with several
nieces and nephews, and built EMCCs manufacturing
and technology programs while encouraging international
industries to invest in the Golden Triangle, even appearing
in The Atlantic for the progress hes made.
Shaunak, who was born to Indian parents in Kenya and
educated in England, says its all part of helping others
achieve their American dream, just as he did.
Shaunak and EMCC got the chance to help the
first major international company lay its foundation
in the Golden Triangle. He calls the 2003 arrival of
American Eurocopter now called Airbus Helicopters
the catalyst for the growth the Golden Triangle has
experienced over the last decade.
Shaunak and others at EMCC worked with American
Eurocopter to establish training courses in the fields of
electrical systems/avionics, sheet metal and mechanics.
This early collaboration enabled the community college
to continue providing the facility with a source of skilled
workers from the local region to fill job openings long
after the first helicopters departed the manufacturing floor.
From there, industry in the Golden Triangle took off
PACCAR, Steel Dynamics and, most recently, Yokohama
Manufacturing in West Point.
Shaunak and EMCC worked closely with the Golden
Triangle LINK to entice more industry to the area and, once
the industries were here, helped with the hiring and training
of thousands of local workers to start new careers building
engines at PACCAR or making tires at Yokohama.
Dr. Shaunak has been instrumental in nearly every
workforce development effort we have executed as part of
our work, Macaulay Whitaker, Vice President of Internal
and External Affairs at the GTR LINK, said in an email to
The Dispatch. His expertise and vision for the future have
been invaluable.
In 2006, Severstal North America announced that it was

opening a flat roll steel plant (acquired by Steel Dynamics in

2014) in Columbus. EMCC got to work finding a workforce
for the company. Over two weeks in July, Shaunak and his
team screened and assessed more than 10,000 applicants.
In 2008, they did the same for PACCAR.
(Shaunaks) been a tremendous advocate for local
industry, said Lance Walters, plant manager of PACCAR.
Walters has known Shaunak since 2007, when PACCAR
first arrived in Columbus. Shaunak was one of the first
people Walters met. Before the companys facilities
were up and running, the managers had offices at EMCC
for more than two years. Though the managers have
long since moved into their Columbus facility, and the
space where they used to work has been converted into
classrooms, Shaunak is still happy to show the space
where they used to house their offices.

Dr. Raj Shaunak | Photo by Luisa Porter

Walters remembers it fondly as well. Shaunak and his

EMCC team were always eager to provide the PACCAR
employees with whatever they needed, from phone
numbers of business contacts to office supplies.
Hes definitely been a pleasure to work with just

because hes upbeat, positive, Walters added.

That upbeat, positive attitude is on display when
Shaunak shows visitors around EMCCs facilities and
classrooms. At the Manufacturing, Technology and
Engineering Division, students working towards everything
from an Associates Degree to special certificates to a high
score on the WorkKeys test can get the training they need
at schedules that work best for them.
The hires at area industrial complexes often start out
training for their specific jobs at one of EMCCs training
facilities, Shaunak said. While a lot of the underlying
manufacturing basics are the same, he said, it takes a
different skill set to assemble engines than to build tires.
Yokohamas employees are required to have completed
EMCCs Manufacturing Skills Basic Certification in order
to even apply. EMCC trains between 5,000-6,000 people
annually, Shaunak said. And thats not counting students
who pursue two-or three-year Associate degree programs,
he added. These students can get manufacturing degrees
that he says will almost certainly guarantee them wellpaying jobs without having to go into debt.
One of Shaunaks favorite aspects of his work is its role
in offering people second chances. Some of the people
training for certificates or taking courses to help pass the
GED or ACT come from difficult backgrounds, Shaunak
said. They may not have had stable home lives or a parent
or mentor figure to help guide them to their goals. Thats
one of the things he and EMCC do, he said. Theyve
helped individuals without homes, without traditional
education or access to transportation. Theyve helped
single parents and people who dropped out of high school.
We care about each individual, Shaunak said. We
meet each individual where they are, and we try to find
out ... where that individual wants to go.
What really makes it work, Shaunak said, is the team of
dedicated people who are passionate about what they do
and want to help people better their lives.
Thats why these wonderful men and women I work
with on my team take this to heart, Shaunak said. Its not
just a job for my team. Its almost a mission, perhaps even
missionary.
Shaunak is passionate about helping people achieve
their goals.
Chasing my American dream, I traveled three continents,
he said. (Now I want to) give back to the community that
helped me achieve my American dream.

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Weyerhaeuser is proud to be part of the Golden Triangle community.

Like a Weyerhaeuser forest, a strong community stands together.
Our operations consistently
seek innovative ways to meet
our customers needs, maintain
exceptional quality and safety
standards, while protecting the
surrounding environment. We
recognize our team members as
the keys to our success.

EMCC, Full Page Dispatch Salute to Industry:Layout 1

SALUTE TO INDUSTRY

4/26/2016

1:10 PM

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East Mississippi Community College salutes industry:

The economic engine driving success in the Golden Triangle!

All of us know someone who needs a new skill set to achieve the American dream. We are very proud to partner with our
industry leaders to help provide the training people need - whether its long-term associates degree or short-term workforce
classes. The reason America is so great is because of people who give of themselves for the common good - industry leaders,
military personnel, local and state-elected ocials, economic developers and others. We are proud to be part of that group.
Dr. Raj Shaunak, Vice President for Workforce & Community Services, East Mississippi Community College

Summer classes begin May 24. Fall classes begin Aug. 15.
For more information about Workforce classes, please call (662) 243-2686
GOLDEN TRIANGLE CAMPUS
(662) 243-1900

COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE

(662) 434-2660

SCOOBA CAMPUS
(662) 476-5000

LION HILLS
(662) 328-4387

WWW.EASTMS.EDU
East Mississippi Community College is committed to assuring that the College and its programs are free from discrimination and harassment based upon race, color, ethnicity, sex, pregnancy, religion,
national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, status as a U.S. veteran, or any other status protected by state or federal law. The following office has been designated to handle
inquiries regardingthe non-discrimination policies: Office of the District Director of Human Resources, Payroll and EEOC/OCR, 1512 Kemper Street, Scooba, Mississippi 39358. Phone: 662.476.5274

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Come geous pool
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Were proud to be a part of the growing economy of

Lowndes County for the past 52 years, and we welcome
new industry and salute the already successful!!
625 31st Avenue North
(Behind K-Mart Off Hwy. 45 North)

662-329-2544
Office Hours Mon-Fri 8-5

www.falconlairapts.com

RECENTLY RENOVATED UNITS!

1-866-508-3537 328-5776 1120 Gardner Blvd. Columbus

INC. 5000 LIST - Americas Fastest Growing Private Companies

four years running 2012 2013 2014 2015

PROUD TO BE APART OF THE AREA INDUSTRY

W W W. D P M F R A G R A N C E . C O M | 8 0 0 . 74 8 . 9 2 4 9
1 0 1 0 LY N N L A N E , S T A R K V I L L E , M I S S I S S I P P I 3 9 7 5 9
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1323 North Eshman Avenue West Point, MS

www.royaltruck.com 800.321.1293

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East Mississippi Community Colleges

27th Annual Industry Appreciation Luncheon

(top left) Col. Kurt Kayser, the 14th Mission Support Group Commander at Columbus Air Force Base, accepts an East Mississippi Community College Workforce Services Special Recognition Award
on behalf of Lt. Col. Richard T. Sonic Johnson (Ret.) from Vice President for EMCCs Manufacturing Technology and Engineering Division, Dr. Raj Shaunak, and EMCC President, Dr. Thomas
Huebner, Jr. Photo by Mark Wilson | (top right) Representatives for Yokohama Tire Manufacturing Mississippi accept a Directors Award (L-R) YTMM Executive Vice President Takahiro Mukai,
Melissa Orman of Human Resources, President Tetsuya Kuze, Maintenance Manager David Vance, Senior Director Joe Gallagher, Dr. Thomas Huebner, Engineering Manager Dennis DOrvilliers,
Mississippi Development Authority Executive Director Glenn McCullough Jr. and Dr. Raj Shaunak. Photo courtesy EMCC Public Relations | (bottom left) Representatives for PACCAR Engine
Company accept the Directors Award (L-R) PACCAR Assistant Plant Manager Ben Machen, Plant Manager Lance Walters, Glenn McCullough, Jr., Dr. Thomas Huebner, Jr., Controls Engineer
Vil Johnikin, Program Manager Lex Lemmers, Team Coordinator Jason Barlow and Dr. Raj Shaunak. Photo courtesy EMCC Public Relations | (bottom left) Huebner presents representatives
for Baptist Memorial Hospital - GT with a Best Practices Award (L-R) Education Staff Development Specialists Eljenette West, RN, Tracy Barron, RN, Dee Hendrickson, RN and Instructor Mia
Johnson. Photo courtesy BMH-GT Public Relations

 SALUTE TO INDUSTRY

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Quality
begins and ends with
each person at Baldor.

70 Industrial Park Access Road

Columbus, MS 39702
662-328-9116

SUNDAY, MAY 22, 2016

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SALUTE TO INDUSTRY

A Family Business
Since 1946

Doug Wheeler &

Jason Wheeler

Wheeler Roofing, Inc.

Commercial & Residential

Shingles Single Ply Roof Systems

Roof Repairs of All Types Licensed, Bonded & Insured
Proudly Serving the Golden Triangle for 70 Years

1218 Military Rd. Columbus, MS

328-3625 or 328-7612

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Steel Dynamics believes in the hardworking people of the Golden

Triangle Region. Thats one reason we decided to purchase the
steelmaking facility in your community in 2014. Now were investing
an additional $100 million to establish new product lines. Columbus
will be the only facility in North America to make these products
in such a wide range of sizes. Thank you for contributing to our
continuing success.

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www.steeldynamics.com

SALUTE TO INDUSTRY

 SALUTE TO INDUSTRY

(right) East Mississippi Community College Golden

Triangle Campus Vice President Dr. Paul Miller
addresses attendees at EMCCs 27th Annual Industry
Appreciation Luncheon; (below) Tommy and Rita Davis,
Dr. Tom Huebner; (below right) Dr. Glenn McCullough

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(above) Dr. Raj Shaunak, Steve Langston; (above right) Rita Davis, Otis Taylor;
(at right) Andrew Gaston, Joe Gallagher

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