Bassett Learning Center Dedicated at Catawba Valley Furniture Academy

From Catawba Valley Community College reports

Bassett Learning Center Ribbon Cutting
(l:r) Randy Isenhour, Chairman of the Catawba County Commissioners; Anne Stedman, City of Newton Mayor; Mark Jordan, Bassett Furniture Industries Senior Vice President; Robert H. Spilman, Jr., Bassett Furniture Industries President, CEO and Chairman; David Sain, CVCC Foundation, Inc chairman.; and Dr. Garrett D. Hinshaw, CVCC president.

During a recent ceremony at the Catawba Valley Furniture Academy in Newton, N.C., officials with Bassett Furniture Industries dedicated the Bassett Learning Center.

A significant gift from Bassett Furniture Industries to the CVCC Foundation, Inc., created the 1,100 square foot state-of-the-art classroom to enhance the Academy’s award-winning hands-on workforce training facility.

The new Bassett Learning Center provides a dedicated classroom experience with computers and other smart technology. In addition, the center will serve as a facility for student recruitment, industry workshops, events and training.

“The area’s furniture industry has recovered and is thriving,” said Robert H. Spilman, Jr., Bassett president, CEO and chairman. “Our greatest need in that rebirth is a skilled workforce. With the help of CVCC and the collective spirit of the entire region, we are in good hands.”

Mark Jordan, senior vice president of Bassett Furniture Industries, expanded on Spilman’s remarks. “We pay competitive wages, offer outstanding benefits and are heavily involved in technology. Bassett is proud to partner with CVCC in creating this classroom environment that mirrors the environment where graduates will work.”

The Catawba Valley Furniture Academy’s mission is to prepare students for high demand jobs in the furniture industry. Students receive hands-on-training from local craftspeople in a simulated furniture manufacturing.

To find out more about the program, register for the class, and learn about scholarship opportunities, please contact Jennifer Eversole, jeversole@cvcc.edu or (828) 327-7000, ext. 4294.

The CVCC Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation with the mission to foster and promote the growth, progress, and general welfare of CVCC. Contact Teresa W. Biggs, CVCC Foundation Executive Director, for additional information at 828-327-7000, ext. 4288, or tbiggs@cvcc.edu.