Editor,

On Wednesday, June 12, PDCCC celebrated the grand opening of its Regional Warehouse and Distribution Training Facility located in back of The Tidewater News building. This event not only officially noted the opening of a facility with programs that provide students the skills they need to succeed in family-sustaining jobs, but it also marked the creation of a great collaboration of localities, business and industry partners, and philanthropists—all dedicated to improving our local economy.

The following donors, along with numerous partner organizations and businesses, allowed this project to come to fruition:

• Hampton Roads Workforce Council

• Bank of America

• Hampton Roads Community Foundation

• Birdsong Foundation

• Franklin Southampton Charities

• Camp Family Foundations

• PDCCC Foundation

• The Port of Virginia

• The Tidewater News

• Caspari

• Safco

• Eaheart Industrial

This wonderful, relevant facility with its programs and our student successes, are all proof that we can work together to create solutions that benefit the entire Commonwealth. It is our intent to make addressing a shortage of skilled workers for local jobs a thing of the past. We are forever grateful for our partners and donors.

Angela Lawhorne

PDCCC Workforce Development Director

Franklin