Missouri Western honors Altec Industries
By Marcus Clem
A top manufacturer for the area is forming new ties with St. Joseph’s hometown higher education campus.
Missouri Western State University, in partnership with North Central Missouri College, honored Altec Industries, Inc. on Friday by naming part of its new Convergent Technology Alliance Center after the firm. The Altec Manufacturing Technology Bay will open this fall along with the $13 million CTAC, enrolling students of both MWSU and NCMC in a variety of high-end skilled trades courses. Altec director of operations Jonathan Arens said the company intends to continually grow its local operations. Having a nearby source of trained workers is essential for that process, he said.
“We want to be here local, in the St. Joseph community, and provide that level of support there,” Arens said. “And when we can get individuals coming in that already have some of the trades that they, that they know how to weld or they know how to wire a truck, it’s going to make us a lot more efficient and effective.”
University President Elizabeth Kennedy said the honor follows on to contributions made by Gray Manufacturing and a host of other corporate donors, representing how the CTAC exists as a public-private partnership for the benefit of students.
“It’s not just the education piece that matters, but it’s the worker training, it’s the workforce development for St. Joseph,” she said. “So, this is kind of a dual-purpose building that will fit both our students and workers … We’re very excited about this. It’s a beautiful building, it’s coming right along, and it’s going to be a spectacular addition to the campus at Missouri Western State University.”
Altec Industries, its name originally standing for Alabama Truck and Equipment Company, gave $500,000 to the CTAC project via the Altec/Styslinger Foundation. That nonprofit honors the legacy of of Lee J. Styslinger Jr., who took a small Birmingham, Alabama, equipment company started by his father, Lee J. Styslinger Sr., and grew it into a worldwide leader of industry, according to the Alabama Business Hall of Fame.
