OTC announces not one but two six-figure gifts for its Center for Advanced Manufacturing
An event space inside the new Robert W. Plaster Center for Advanced Manufacturing will be named for the founders of Positronic, a Springfield manufacturing company, the Ozarks Technical Community College Foundation announced Wednesday.
The Gentry family donated a six-figure gift to the center, which will open in August. The space will be named the Jack & Ann Gentry Family Event Center.
The space will be used to host job fairs, manufacturing day events, industry meetings and receptions.
“My parents’ company and OTC collaborated almost as soon as the college opened its doors,” said John Gentry, a long-time OTC trustee and one of the couple's five children, in a Wednesday release.
“Positronic started an apprenticeship program for its employees using OTC for the classroom portion of the training. The Plaster Manufacturing Center will provide even more opportunities for the two organizations to work together.”
The grand opening of the center is scheduled for Aug. 15.
OTC Chancellor Hal Higdon said: “We are grateful for this generous donation, and it is gratifying to know that the Gentry family chose to honor their parents by putting Jack and Ann’s names on the PMC."
The 120,000-square-foot advanced manufacturing center will provide training in these areas:
Precision machining
Drafting and design
Manufacturing technology
Mechatronics
Network technology
Cybersecurity
Automation and robotics
Jack Gentry, a metallurgical engineer, started his career in mining, manufacturing sales and operations. In 1966, he founded Positronic and his wife Ann was the first employee.
The company manufactures electronic connectors for aircraft, aerospace, defense, medical and industrial applications.
He later founded the Springfield Area Manufacturers Association, which is now called the Missouri Association of Manufacturers. It works to promote, preserve and advance manufacturing in the state.
Six-figure donation from SRC
The OTC foundation also announced a six-figure donation from the employee-owners of SRC Holdings Corporation for the SRC Quality Lab inside OTC's Plaster Manufacturing Center.
“We want the move to Advanced Manufacturing to consider remanufacturing and its profound impact on sustainability,” said Jack Stack, SRC founder and CEO, in a release. “This investment will pay off far into the future as OTC trains the next generation of SRC associates.”
The SRC Quality Lab will be home to some of the most precise equipment in the PMC, including gauges, inspection equipment, and materials testing instruments. Faculty and students will use the quality lab, and it will be available to industry partners.
“OTC and SRC have aligned before to help students. Jack and his company invested in the SRC Diesel Remanufacturing Lab a few years ago,” said Higdon, in the release. “Now, with this investment in the PMC, we are advancing our partnership to train tomorrow’s manufacturers.”
Other significant contributors to the $40 million Plaster Manufacturing Center include:
The Robert W. Plaster Foundation
Larry and Donna Snyder
American National
The Durham Company
Emerson
The Gene Haas Foundation
Claudette Riley is the education reporter for the News-Leader. Email news tips to criley@news-leader.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Six-figure gift from Gentry family for OTC advanced manufacturing center
