From left, Chamber BEST coordinator Sherry Crye meets with Mary Beth Hudson, vice president and site manager for WACKER POLISYLICON, and Todd Shoemaker, principal at Bradley Central High School, to formally sign them as BEST partners.
Industry and education provide unique opportunities for workforce and community development, both initiatives of the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce.
One program that allows for the best opportunities is the chamber’s BEST partnership program.
BEST, an acronym for Business & Education Serving Together, is a workforce development initiative of the Chamber of Commerce in existence since 1992. The program pairs a business and a selected school to enhance the quality of life for the community and provide business support for the educational programs.
“Our ultimate goal is to reinforce the education process and strengthen the community’s workforce,” said Sherry Crye, BEST partnership program coordinator. “We are delighted to announce our new partnership between WACKER POLYSILICON North America and Bradley Central High School.”
WACKER POLYSILICON is a sprawling $2.5 billion polysilicon plant located in the Hiwassee River Industrial Park in Charleston. Polysilicon is the raw material used in the production of solar power panels.
“We know that the leaders of tomorrow and our future employees are being created by the educational environment today,” said Mary Beth Hudson, vice president and site manager for Wacker’s Charleston plant. “The BEST partnership program is a great way for industry to connect and collaborate with schools for mutual benefit.”
She said, “Through our partnership with Bradley Central High School, we hope to be engaged in initiatives that improve workforce skills, enhance STEM learning activities, and show our appreciation for the faculty and staff who do such a great job developing students to their full potential.”
Principal Todd Shoemaker said, “Bradley Central High School is honored to have Wacker as our BEST partner. It is exciting that our students will have the opportunity to benefit from the partnership, and we are excited that our students will be able to assist Wacker in areas of need as well. Bradley County is very fortunate to have a business such as Wacker who strives to invest in the future of Bradley County.”
Wacker, one of the world’s biggest players in polysilicon, officially opened in April 2016.
“We are still a rather new neighbor in Bradley County,” Hudson said, “but we’re committed to being an involved and responsible neighbor. We’re very much looking forward to a strong relationship with Bradley Central for many, many years to come.”
Schools in the Bradley County and Cleveland City School Systems have one or more local business partners as part of the BEST program. Private schools that are Chamber members may also participate in the program.
For information about the BEST partnership program, call Sherry Crye at 423-472-6587.