Albemarle announces substantial donation to Cleveland Community College

Albemarle recently announced a large donation to Cleveland Community College to help support the creation of a skilled workforce.

The unveiling of the $1 million check was made during a Cleveland County Chamber of Commerce member luncheon Wednesday.

Ellen Lenny-Pessagno, Albemarle’s global vice president of external affairs and sustainability, spoke about what Albemarle currently does at its site in Kings Mountain - making battery-grade lithium metal - and the importance of it in products such as pacemakers, drones and military applications, among others.

“It’s really important for our country to make this metal,” Lenny-Pessagno said. “We’re really doing cutting-edge work there.”

She said the work taking place with lithium is similar to the industrial revolution, and it is important not just for this century and generation but subsequent ones.

Lenny-Pessagno said Albemarle is currently submitting state and federal permits to reopen the mine in Kings Mountain and that process is expected to take a couple of years with the construction of the mine to follow once those permits are obtained.

She said what this means for the county is enormous economic opportunities, opportunities for small businesses and high-paying jobs.

“We have a specialized work-force already, but we’re going to have new needs in the future,” Lenny-Pessagno said.

She said they were awarded $150 million from the Department of Energy with $5 million that will go toward Cleveland Community College as a subrecipient. She said 21 companies were selected for grants but Albemarle is the only one who shared the funding with an educational institution.

She said those funds will help Cleveland Community College as they prepare the necessary workforce.

Jason Hurst, CCC president, said the college is continuing to build on the legacy left to them and has recently revamped the strategic plan, goals, objectives and mission of the school to ensure they are meeting needs.

“We understand how important our role is in developing a workforce,” he said.

Hurst said North Carolina is ranked number one in the state for businesses, and it is important to have highly skilled workers.

“We have to be adaptable, adjust nimbly to meet industry needs,” he said.

Hurst said the college would be working hand in hand with Albemarle to develop a curriculum.

Lenny-Pessagno said while they are getting the Department of Energy grant off the ground, they worked with CCC to identify immediate needs and Albemarle’s $1 million donation will go toward meeting those.

Hurst said they are incredibly grateful for the gift, and it is the single largest donation given to the college by a corporation in its history.

He said those funds will be used for the purchase of equipment, supplies and facility improvements to benefit workforce training programs and create skilled and diverse workers who will support the growth of businesses and projects, such as the redevelopment of the Kings Mountain mine.

According to a press release from Albemarle, the equipment and facility improvements are expected to be an integral part of CCC's Heavy Equipment Operator Program and support apprenticeship programs Albemarle is developing for several electrical and process operations roles. In addition, Albemarle employees are expected to benefit from customized training programs for the mine's mineral processing facility. These programs are designed to allow both students and incoming Albemarle employees to learn and train on state-of-the-art equipment and simulators.

"A skilled and capable workforce is one of the most critical ingredients needed as we work to strengthen our U.S. supply chain of lithium," said Lenny-Pessagno. "We are fortunate to have Cleveland Community College's experienced faculty and resources right here in the community that can be leveraged to build a pipeline of talent."

The $1 million donation builds upon $5 million of announced funding to CCC as a subrecipient of the U.S. Department of Energy's $150 million grant to the Kings Mountain mine project. The overall grant is anticipated to support part of the construction cost for the mine's mineral processing facility and CCC's portion of the grant is expected to fund the development of a customized operator training program for the planned facility.

"We are grateful to Albemarle for this significant investment," said Hurst. "Not only does it benefit the delivery of workforce training programs, but it also provides Cleveland Community College with the means to develop new and innovative training programs and apprenticeships that support local and regional businesses. Cleveland Community College has high-quality, professional instructors that are eager to deliver training with the proposed new equipment. Albemarle's commitment to this community, and its community college, is unique and much appreciated."

Since 2016, Albemarle has committed more than $2 million to community initiatives in the region with a focus on health, social services, educational and cultural initiatives intended to strengthen Kings Mountain and surrounding communities.

Reporter Rebecca Sitzes can be reached at rsitzes@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: Albemarle announces donation to Cleveland Community College