Alongside Southern Virginia Higher Education Center Executive Director Dr. Betty H. Adams and other distinguished guests, Governor Terry McAuliffe cuts the ribbon symbolizing the opening of the higher ed center’s IT Academy. Courses will begin in August.

Calling the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center the "home to bold thinkers and innovators" Governor Terry McAuliffe addressed the higher ed center staff and distinguished guests Tuesday before cutting the ribbon on the new addition to the facility, its IT Academy.

The center continues to do big things. Less than a year ago, the facility became a Center of Excellence facility offering three programs: welding, precision machining and industrial maintenance.

The IT Academy (ITA) is a short-term, non-credit training program designed to prepare individuals with the skills and certifications required for employment in Southern Virginia's growing Information Technology sector.

ITA will provide a core curriculum leading to CompTIA certification in A+, Network+ and Server+. Each of these courses will last three to five weeks and provide approximately 100 hours of instruction. Students will be able to complete the entire core curriculum within 90 days.

Monogram Food Solutions to invest $7.2 million to add warehousing and logistics facility to operation

Governor Terry McAuliffe announced today that Monogram Food Solutions, LLC, a Memphis-based manufacturer of value-added processed meats, will invest $7.244 million to establish a warehousing and logistics operation in Henry County. The company has operated a meat snacks production facility in the Henry County Patriot Centre Industrial Park since 2009. Virginia successfully competed against two other states for the project, which will create 101 new jobs.

Speaking about today's announcement at an event in Henry County, Governor McAuliffe said, "I am thrilled to be back in the region to announce Monogram Food Solutions' new operation, which brings the company's total job creation in Henry County to more than 300 in less than one year. Working with companies like Monogram to grow and create new jobs in regions that need them is a key part of my administration's efforts to build a new Virginia economy. I thank Monogram for continuing to invest in our great Commonwealth."

"Monogram's announcement is further proof that Virginia offers the assets companies seek to grow their businesses," said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Maurice Jones. "The combination of great talent, strong infrastructure, pro-business climate and great incentives distinguish the Commonwealth as a great place for business. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Monogram for years to come."

Gov. Terry McAuliffe came to Danville on Friday to honor the more than $1 million — and a nearly equal amount of hopes — invested into the freshly completed Gene Haas Center for Integrated Machining at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research.

The ribbon cutting gathered together a long list of politicians, funders, donors and educators to remark upon and honor the milestone achievement that is the Gene Haas Center. The center, part of the Capstone Integrated Machining Technology project, is a partnership between Danville Community College and the Institute.

With a $1 million Gene Haas Foundation endowment, a $1.9 million Danville Regional Foundation grant and an additional $650,000 worth of Haas Automation equipment, the center is state-of-the-art workflow cell training lab. Funding has come from numerous private sector donors with the majority coming from the Gene Haas Foundation.

$1 Million Endowment Creates One-of-a-Kind Workflow Cell Learning Environment

Governor Terry McAuliffe will provide remarks and participate in the ribbon cutting to officially open the Gene Haas Center for Integrated Machining at The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR). A number of globally recognized partners and Gene Haas, founder and president of Haas Automation, will also be in attendance at a special ribbon cutting in Danville, Virginia on Friday, May 15 at 10:00 a.m. The event will be available via a live webcast stream on IALR's webpage, www.ialr.org.

The Gene Haas Center will include a workflow cell training lab that will provide authentic learning experiences to students who have completed the Integrated Machining Technology Program at Danville Community College (DCC). Not only is the program unique, but it is a game changer for preparing the future workforce. The program will provide a third-year level of learning for students.

eBay will expand its operations in Henry County, adding 191 full-time jobs with an annual payroll of more than $4 million and investing $5.8 million in capital improvements, officials announced Thursday.

The expansion will make eBay the second-largest non-service employer in the region after Eastman Chemical Company, according to Mark Heath, president and CEO of the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corp.

The company will move into a 400,000-square foot facility on Joseph Martin Highway in Ridgeway, where it already has other operations. It will make improvements to the building — the work already has begun — and also put in materials-handling equipment.

Stewart-Haas Racing Driver Kurt Busch to Carry Commemorative Decal Highlighting $1 Million Grant to The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research on No. 41 at Richmond April 23, 2015

The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) and Danville Community College (DCC) are the recipients of a $1 million grant from the Gene Haas Foundation, which has granted more than $11 million to entities that champion advanced manufacturing education.

The $1 million grant will be used to build the new Gene Haas Center for Integrated Machining on the IALR campus in Danville, Virginia, and support a third-year level of learning for students completing DCC's Precision Machining Technology two-year degree program. The experience will provide students the opportunity to train in an authentic manufacturing workflow cell as part of the Capstone Integrated Machining Technology project being implemented for the first time in America through the IALR/DCC partnership.