The dedication last week of LS Tractor USA’s new parts warehouse in northeastern Nash County included an announcement that Nash Community College and Edgecombe Community College had each been awarded a new tractor.
The gathering, which was held Friday morning adjacent to the company’s manufacturing plant near Gold Rock, was attended by local leaders, company officials and area residents.
“We look forward to continuing our fruitful partnership in the years to come with both colleges,” Bono Kim, LS Tractor USA’s director of product management, told the gathering under a large tent-like setup.
Kim credited both community colleges with providing support in the development and pilot testing process of the company’s new MT2E series of tractors. Kim also made clear that the company understands the crucial importance of higher education, especially in agriculture.
A tour of the new parts warehouse followed.
Wendy Marlowe, who is NCC’s vice president for continuing education and economic/workforce development, said after the tour that the investment made by LS Tractor USA was “absolutely wonderful.”
As for the community college getting a new tractor, Marlowe said, “Oh, that’s awesome.”
Marlowe said that NCC is going to be able to use the tractor for both the community college’s maintenance department and for its heavy equipment operator certification course as well as in many more programs.
Edgecombe Community College President Greg McLeod near the end of the tour said that he and his team are excited about what the new parts warehouse does for LS Tractor USA and also for the community.
“But we’re also excited for our agribusiness technology degree program,” McLeod said. “It’s four years young, but it’s steadily growing.”
The program at ECC is designed to provide the entrepreneurial and technical skills needed for one to manage a profitable, environmentally sound and community-based small farm or agricultural business.
McLeod said that the donation of the tractor is going to allow ECC to expand the program to serve more students and to give them some quality hands-on experiences they would not have otherwise.
“And then we’re also taking about doing future internships here for the students that give would them more experiences in agribusiness and agriculture from a variety of perspectives,” McLeod said.
The manufacturing plant and the now-dedicated parts warehouse are on opposite sides of the entrance to the Whitaker Business & Industry Center. The center is off N.C. 48 and just southeast of the Interstate 95 interchange for Gold Rock.
The now-dedicated parts warehouse had formerly been used by plastics manufacturer and producer of plastics packaging Berry Global. LS Tractor USA late last year acquired the building for $6.5 million.
Previously, LS Tractor USA had been operating a parts warehouse in a rented building off Gelo Road off North Church Street in the northern part of Rocky Mount.
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