ECCC, Morton business honored for their work

By Staff
Editors note: So many people submitted stories to "Profile 2003: A Sense of Place" there was not room for all of them in the Feb. 27 special edition. This is one of those stories. Look for other "Profile Encores" in upcoming editions.
Bubby Johnston is vice president for public information at East Central Community College one of 15 junior and community colleges in Mississippi.
By Bubby Johnston / special to The Star
March 13, 2003
Craft-Co Enterprises Inc., Morton and East Central Community College's Workforce Development Center were recognized for excellence recently during an awards presentation at the Education and Research Complex in Jackson.
Cited for its strong commitment to continuously upgrade the company's work force, Craft-Co received the State Workforce Development Council's prestigious Best Practices Award and the ECCC staff was honored for providing the company with outstanding training.
Craft-Co, a manufacturer of electrical/electronic components for the automobile industry, began production in Morton in November 1988. The 68,000 square-foot facility consists of production operations, a quality lab, tool room, test lab and corporate offices.
Jim Finley, Craft-Co president and chief executive, praised employees for the company's success and added he was grateful for the support provided by the ECCC Workforce Development Center.
Finley said the company's association with ECCC began in 1995.
The first class offered at the mobile lab consisted of eight students enrolled in literacy, GED (general educational development) and English as a second language.
Kay Crawford, human resources administrator at Craft-Co, said 37 company employees have graduated from various classes and that a total of 336 students have taken advantage of class offerings. Several students also have continued their education on the college level.
Crawford added that additional training to be offered in the future will include on-line maintenance classes, on-line academic college credit classes and on-line GED classes.
Craft-Co associates who teach classes are Brad Williams, quality manager, who teaches Windows 98, and Craig Ellmo, controller, who teaches introduction to computers.
Roger Whitlock, director of the ECCC Workforce Development Center, said providing training classes to Craft-Co and other industries and businesses in the college's five-county district is the main mission of the center, which began operation soon after the Legislature passed the Workforce Development Act of 1994.