Jason Green, human resource business partner manager at ABB (from left); Tim Allen, Fort Smith Chamber president and CEO; Congressman Steve Womack; Jesse Henson, president of ABB’s NEMA Motor Division; and Terry Morawski, Superintendent of Fort Smith Public Schools.
Global technology company ABB’s NEMA motor division says it is giving $1 million to the Peak Innovation Center in Fort Smith.
The investment will be used to buy state-of-the-art equipment for the center’s advanced manufacturing program. The career and technology center, located in the former Hutcheson Shoes building in east Fort Smith, is scheduled to open in August 2021 as part of the Fort Smith School District’s Vision 2023 Capital Improvement Program.
“Today, we are investing in our business with automation solutions and data-driven processes,” Jesse Henson, president of ABB’s NEMA motor division, said on Tuesday. “These improvements require positions and skill sets we didn’t imagine 10 years ago. We are pleased to partner with Peak to help local students develop the skills we need, and we are honored to invest in those students, their families, and our region.”
Career pathways at Peak will be available to the 43,000 students in the 22 school districts in the region. Junior and senior students will earn concurrent credits from the Western Arkansas Technical Center at the University of Arkansas in Fort Smith.
“ABB’s investment in Peak Innovation Center will offer students the opportunity to develop their knowledge and expertise in the areas of Advanced Manufacturing, with the option of taking their skills directly into the workforce after graduation,” said Fort Smith Schools Superintendent Terry Morawski. “We are very grateful for ABB’s leadership. They have supported the development of Peak from its very beginning, and we couldn’t be more thankful to them for their generosity.”
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