By Jamie Strickland
FOUR OAKS — Attendees of The Four Oaks Chamber of Commerce 2025 Strategic Partner Forum got a sneak peak into the brand new Johnston Community College Advanced Manufacturing Training Center recently.
JCC and the I-95/I-40 Crossroads of America Alliance will celebrate the fall opening of the state-of-the-art welding and advanced technology training center, a project that leaders say will drive workforce development and attract quality industry to the area.
The new facility features a vastly improved welding lab with enhanced ventilation, large fans, and space to expand.
“Within 30 days of registration opening, our classes are full,” said welding instructor Kenny Duncan. “With this new facility, we’ll be able to put advanced technologies into the process with training for the skilled trades.”
Alongside welding, the site houses applied engineering, robotics and a computer-integrated machining lab. Mobile whiteboards, versatile top-of-the-line classrooms, active learning labs, and student lounge areas round out the design. There is also room for future expansion into fields such as mechanical engineering, plus incubator space where companies can set up, experiment and begin training their local workforce — even before fully establishing in Johnston County.
The project is part of a larger vision to prepare students to meet the local work force needs of industries such as Novo Nordisk and Grifols, as well as new companies that leaders hope to attract.
“We try to stay ahead of the industry so when the students get out there, they are well prepared,” said Maxie Kirby, the Department Chair of Transportation and Advanced Technologies at JCC who oversaw much of the development of the new facility.
The new building will also allow popular programs like HVAC and respiratory therapy to grow on the main campus at JCC as other departments move to the new site.
Funding for the facility came from a mix of federal, state, county and town resources, largely due to community partnerships and the support and advocacy of the Crossroads Alliance.
“Our goal is workforce,” said Harold Keen of the Alliance. “The first thing people ask is where the workforce will come from — we want to improve that.”
Four Oaks Mayor Vic Medlin noted that the facility will help create better local jobs so residents won’t have to commute to the Raleigh area for higher paying positions. “Four Oaks will grow with industry because of it,” he said.
Johnston County Economic Development Director Chris Johnson emphasized the broader regional benefits. “We’ve got to think beyond our city limits and beyond our county limits,” he said, pointing out that more than 90,000 people leave the county to work elsewhere, taking with them potential sales tax revenue and quality-of-life benefits.
County leaders say they are focused on attracting jobs that pay above the county average. “We don’t want to be the storage warehouse for Wake County,” Johnson said. “Quality industry is our priority.”
Johnston said the nearby Four Oaks Business Park is ready for growth and new industry, benefiting from a new road, natural gas availability and other infrastructure improvements. One new industrial project, Johnson said, could bring the same tax revenue as 3,000 homes.
Lyn Austin, Chair of the Board of Trustees at JCC summed up the significance of the opening: “The community college is the backbone of economic development. What business would come to this facility, walk around and see what we have to offer, and not want to come here?”
