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Successful Bond Sale Cinches Development of New Workforce Mall
(12-05-2005)
-- AKRON, OHIO December 5, 2005 – Businesses and residents alike will soon have convenient access to countless workforce and career-related services at one state-of-the-art location. The Summit County Workforce Policy Board (WPB) announced today that on their behalf, the Summit County Port Authority has sold $4.8 million in development revenue bonds to finance the renovation of the former DIY Warehouse on Tallmadge Avenue for the Board’s new workforce mall. The new facility, expected to open mid-summer, will be called The Job Center.
“The sale went better than expected,” noted Board president, Scott C. Meyer, “thanks to the support of the Summit County Port Authority, Executive James B. McCarthy and Summit County Council, we received a Fitch rating of BBB+ and a very favorable interest rate. Without their backing or the continued support of the Greater Akron Chamber, Akron Tomorrow and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation this great project wouldn’t be happening.”
“This is a coup for the region,” added Chuck Byrd, the Board’s executive director. “ People here need jobs, employers have jobs to fill, and businesses need a place where they can find answers to their workforce issues. The Job Center will be the place for everyone to find those solutions.”
Preliminary plans are in place and construction is scheduled to begin in January. Initially, the Board will finish nearly 55,000 square feet of the 100,000 square foot building for The Job Center. The remaining 45,000 square feet will be finished and rented at a later date.
BACKGROUND: ABOUT THE WPB AND THE JOB CENTER
The Board purchased the former DIY warehouse at 1040 E. Tallmadge Avenue from the County of Summit to establish a permanent location for The Job Center.
Currently operating from within the Employment Resource Center at Goodwill Industries, The Job Center is part of a workforce development system created under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998. WIA is a federal program administered at the local level by the Workforce Policy Board. The Board, whose mission is to maximize employment and economic opportunity in Summit County by being the resource for every employer and job seeker in the region, is an independent, 501c3 nonprofit organization consisting of a majority of business professionals and executives along with representatives from education, labor, and community organizations.
The 26 member board is charged with providing effective and efficient workforce services in cooperation with 15 partner organizations and oversees The Job Center. These organizations have joined together to provide services for our region’s businesses and residents including workshops, business resources, a career library with a bank of internet connected computers, phones, fax machines, a computer lab, copiers, labor market information, job matching, employment screening, training and education opportunities.
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| MEDIA CONTACT |
Jill Bacon Madden
Director of Communications
Summit County Workforce Policy Board
jill@houseofinfo.com
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