Tom Dowling
(863) 297-1051

Clear Springs to Donate $12 Million and
Parcel of Land in Bartow to PCC for
Advanced Manufacturing & Technology Center
 

03/22/2007: Clear Springs has committed to donate $12 million and a parcel of land in Bartow to the Polk Community College Foundation. The funds, to be matched by the state, will be used to build an Advanced Manufacturing and Technology Center that will serve as a permanent home for PCC’s Corporate College, which is a key provider of training for business and industry in Polk County.

The generous donation was formalized in a letter of commitment signed by Stan Phelps, Chairman of Clear Springs, and presented to PCC President Eileen Holden on March 8. Clear Springs sits on a total of 18,000 acres of land with approximately 11,000 of those acres in the City of Bartow. The PCC Corporate College will be located in Bartow.

“We are extremely grateful and excited to receive this generous donation,” said Dr. Holden. “It is a wonderful example of a public/private partnership that will benefit the entire community.”

According to Clear Springs President Jura Christine Zibas, “This partnership will provide a 21^st-century education and training facility designed to retain and recruit businesses to our community. We are proud to have PCC’s Corporate College and the Advanced Manufacturing and Technology Center as a core part of the overall plan for our property. We are working with additional colleges and universities to further expand the manufacturing technology and training opportunities as well as speaking with companies about the opportunities available in Polk County.”

PCC’s Corporate College, created in 2002 in response to the needs of the county business community, delivers industry-specific training. Since its inception, the Corporate College has trained thousands of Polk County workers with standard and customized training programs focusing on: safety, security, manufacturing, supervision, advanced leadership, and other areas of specialization.

During the past year, a Supply Chain Management consortium of some 60 companies was created in cooperation with the PCC Corporate College to serve the training needs of workers in the transportation, distribution and logistics industries. The Supply Chain Institute will conduct its first classes in June.