A ribbon cutting was held Friday to celebrate the official opening of SOD Technical Training Center, the SOD Center’s newest expansion to its ongoing efforts to provide training programs and workshops to promote growth in Salem. The ceremony saw attendance from multiple officials ranging from local to federal, including Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey, Columbiana County Commissioners Mike Halleck, and Tim Weigle, Ohio State Rep. Monica Robb Blasdel, Governor’s Office of Appalachia Director John Carey, representatives of U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson and Senator JD Vance, as well as Salem Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors, and the SOD Center Board of Directors and Utica Shale Academy Superintendent Bill Watson. (Photo by Morgan Ahart)

The Sustainable Opportunity Development Center has opened the newest expansion to its training center.

The official opening of the SOD Technical Training Center Friday was celebrated with a ribbon cutting. With this most recent expansion SOD can now offer training in AC/DC, PLC, hydraulics, pneumatics, robotics and motor drives.

The ceremony saw officials and their representatives from the local, county, state and even federal level, and local industrial leaders in attendance to celebrate the achievement, including a commendation from the Ohio House of Representatives and a proclamation from U.S. Senator JD Vance’s office.

“The SOD Training Center will continue to function as a facilitator, bringing professional trainers to our regional community to offer cooperative training opportunities,” said SOD Training Coordinator Eva Slagle.

SOD Center Executive Director Julie Needs said that these new trainings, which are part of SOD’s ongoing efforts “to help meet the training needs of regional businesses,” will target not only entry level employees but existing workforce members looking to upskill like most SOD training programs, and student training programs and summer camps “to expose young learners to technical trades.” Needs also said that most of these course offerings will see participants earn associated credentials and certifications, and many will be TechCred eligible.

This expansion will continue SOD’s ongoing training offerings to “facilitate workforce development with a focus on safety training, leadership development, workplace improvement, skills advancement and soft skills” as part of its mission to facilitate growth and economic vitality to improve the quality of life for Salem residents.

Since its opening five years ago more than 3,000 individuals from over 120 businesses have attended courses and workshops at the training center. However, Needs said that five-year period was slightly deceptive as it failed to account for time off during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We lost 18 months during Covid, so we like to say that we really did that in only three and a half years,” said Needs.

The expansion made using state funding from the first round Appalachian Community Grant funding that SOD received as a subrecipient of the Utica Shale Academy’s award, for its “‘Connecting Communities Through Workforce Training” program, which was one of four projects funded in the first round.

“The SOD Center is grateful to Gov. [Mike] DeWine, the Ohio Department of Development and Governor’s Office of Appalachia for this incredible opportunity to bring specialized technical training to our regional employers,” said Needs.

Both SOD and Utica officials spoke glowingly of the ongoing collaboration that made the expansion possible, which has already seen Utica host trainings at SOD’s training center, even prior to the new expansion.

Both Needs and Utica Shale Academy Superintendent Bill Watson said that the collaboration had played a significant role in advancing their ongoing missions.

“The partnership with the Utica Shale Academy has made it possible for the SOD Center to expand access to hands on training for the benefit of regional employers and workforce. The partnership enhances the resources we are providing to today and tomorrow’s businesses and workforce with targeted skilled training that will assist in growth, development, retention, and attraction,” said Needs.

“It has been our honor to work with The SOD Center, the collaboration has allowed us to strive towards our mission in the most hands-on manner possible, I look forward to a continued partnership,” said Watson.

Needs also took time to thank Butech Bliss for allowing SOD to utilize the space that the technical training center occupies, joking it used to be a storage space for the company.

Employers and participants interested in the SOD’s training offerings should contact the SOD Center at 330-337-7669.