Owens Community College Receives Lead Gift from Dana Incorporated for New Advanced Manufacturing Training Center

Jared Meade, MPS, APR
Owens Community College

Owens Embarks on Capital Fundraising Campaign for New $9.6 million, 59,000 Square-foot Facility
to Promote Development of Skilled Workers in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan

PERRYSBURG TOWNSHIP, Ohio, Sept. 3, 2019 – Owens Community College announced last week it received a $1 million investment from Dana Incorporated (NYSE: DAN) for the new Dana Advanced Manufacturing Training Center. The new facility will help address the shortage in skilled workers throughout Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. The announcement kicks off a capital fundraising campaign to support the initiative.

Focused on increasing training and development of skilled workers in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan, the project will renovate a 59,000 square-foot existing facility, which will feature six skilled technology labs, including computer-aided design (CAD); computer numerical control (CNC) and manual machining; electrical; heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and alternative energy; mechanical and pneumatics; and robotics and programmable logic controller (PLC).

“The skills gap is one of the single biggest constraints on growth in our industry and the economy as a whole.  According to estimates from the Manufacturing Institute, there will be more than 4.6 million manufacturing jobs in the U.S. to fill by 2028.  At current rates, we will only have 2.2 million skilled workers for these positions. That is a gap of over 2.4 million jobs,” said James Kamsickas, president and chief executive officer of Dana.  “Dana’s investment with Owens Community College will help to bridge that gap by offering critical training in advanced manufacturing and skilled trades to support the manufacturing base of northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.”

The State of Ohio has approved $4 million in capital funding and Owens will invest up to $3.6 million of its local dollars to support the project. The capital campaign will focus on securing the remaining $2 million funding gap to complete the project.

“The new Advanced Manufacturing Training Center will house all of our advanced manufacturing and skilled trade programs in one building, offering our students a more conducive environment for learning current and advanced technologies that are critical for the workforce in our region,” said Steve Robinson, Ph.D., president, Owens Community College. “The generous support from a major corporation like Dana demonstrates the trust and confidence we have been able to cultivate through our many years as northwest Ohio’s leader in workforce training.”

The new facility will transform the College’s ability to meet the region’s most critical economic challenges of developing and training a skilled workforce for manufacturing employers.

“Toledo has more robots per capita than any metro area in America, but until today, the area did not have the training partnership between educators and the private sector that can supply the talent needed to grow the modern manufacturing sector of the economy,” said Lt. Governor Jon Husted. “The advanced manufacturing partnership between Owens and Dana is exactly what Northwest Ohio needs to compete educationally and economically.”

For more information about the new Dana Advanced Manufacturing Training Center, please visit www.owens.edu/amtc.

About Dana Incorporated  

Dana is a world leader in providing power-conveyance and energy-management solutions for vehicles and machinery.  The company’s portfolio improves the efficiency, performance, and sustainability of light vehicles, commercial vehicles, and off-highway equipment.  From axles, driveshafts, and transmissions to electrodynamic, thermal, sealing, and digital solutions, the company enables the propulsion of conventional, hybrid, and electric-powered vehicles by supplying nearly every vehicle and engine manufacturer in the world.  Founded in 1904, Dana employs more than 36,000 people who are committed to delivering long-term value to customers.  Based in Maumee, Ohio, USA, and with locations in 33 countries across six continents, the company reported sales of $8.1 billion in 2018.  Having established a dynamic, high-performance culture, the company has been recognized globally as a top employer, with significant honors in Asia, India, Italy, Mexico, and the United States.  Learn more at www.dana.com.

Owens Community College has served Northwest Ohio since 1965 as an accredited two-year, state-assisted institution of higher education with an open-door admission policy. With a commitment to providing small classes, personal attention and unmatched affordability, the College serves the diverse academic needs of credit and non-credit students on the Toledo-area and Findlay-area campuses, as well as the Owens Community College Downtown Learning Center. Owens offers associate degrees in the Arts and Sciences and technical program areas in Agriculture, Business, Health Sciences, Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Skilled Trades, and Engineering and Transportation Technologies. Owens Community College is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and has 54 programs that are accredited through their own discipline-specific accrediting bodies. For more information, visit www.owens.edu, call (567) 661-7000, like our Facebook page and/or follow us on Twitter @OwensCC. 

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